Court Opinion

ID: 9490533
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 13:46:08.00963+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:54:09.134773
License: Public Domain

NATHANIEL R. JONES, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
I agree with the majority of this court that revocation of our previous order of release is now required.
Given the undue attention focused on the composition of this en banc court in the statement filed by Judge Boggs, a response is required. The fact that the question has been raised at all is quite perplexing, particularly given that this court has convened seventeen en banc sittings since March 1989. In that time, some thirty-four en banc cases1 have been argued and decided with senior judge participation with no question about or challenge to the composition of the court. See United States v. Jones, 108 F.3d 668 (6th Cir.1997) (Judge Jones); Stupak-Thrall v. United States, 89 F.3d 1269 (6th Cir.1996) (Judge Brown); O’Guinn v. Dutton, 88 F.3d 1409 (6th Cir.1996) (Judge Jones); Nixon v. Kent County, 76 F.3d 1381 (6th Cir.1996) (Judges Keith and Jones); United States v. Lanier, 73 F.3d 1380 (6th Cir.1996) (Judges Keith, Jones and Wellford); Spear v. Sow-ders, 71 F.3d 626 (6th Cir.1995) (Judge Jones); Bartlik v. United States Dep’t of Labor, 62 F.3d 163 (6th Cir.1995) (Judge Jones); Warner v. Ford Motor Co., 46 F.3d 531 (6th Cir.1995) (Judge Guy); Corbin v. Blankenburg, 39 F.3d 650 (6th Cir.1994) (Judge Celebrezze); Sweeton v. Brown, 27 F.3d 1162 (6th Cir.1994) (Judge Contie); United States v. Brady, 988 F.2d 664 (6th Cir.1993) (Judge Lively); Americans United v. City of Grand Rapids, 980 F.2d 1538 (6th Cir.1992) (Judge Lively); United States v. Morrow, 977 F.2d 222 (6th Cir.1992) (Judge Krupansky); United States v. Silverman, 976 F.2d 1502 (6th Cir.1992) (Judge Wellford); United States v. Gessa, 971 F.2d 1257 (6th Cir.1992) (Judges Contie and Krupan-sky); United States v. Steele, 933 F.2d 1313 (6th Cir.1991) (Judge Brown); Minority Employees v. Tennessee, 901 F.2d 1327 (6th Cir.1990) (Judge Engel); Bagby v. Sowders, 894 F.2d 792 (6th Cir.1990) (Judge Contie) and Smolarek v. Chrysler Corp., 879 F.2d 1326 (6th Cir.1989) (Judge Peck). Additionally, the following en banc matters, which included senior judges, have been heard and decisions are currently pending: United States v. Erwin, No. 94-1766 (argued June 11, 1997) (Judge Jones); Millikin v. Commissioner, No. 96-1012 (argued June 11, 1997) (Judge Contie); Sprague v. General Motors Corp., No. 94-1896 (argued April 23, 1997) (Judge Lively); Perez v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., No. 95-1111 (argued April 23,1997) (Judge Jones); and Doe v. Securities and Exchange Comm’n, No. 95-5862 (argued December 4, 1996) (Judge Contie). In light of this background, it is indeed surprising that any of our number would take time to muse. I am nevertheless confident that this court followed the proper procedures in assembling the en banc court in this case.
Judge Keith sat as a member of the original panel. Though he may wish to state his own perspective, my view is that he is entitled to serve on the en banc panel to review “a decision of a panel of which [he] was a member.” 28 U.S.C. § 46(c). By virtue of the Supreme Court reversal of the en banc panel in United States v. Lanier, — U.S. -, 117 S.Ct. 1219, 137 L.Ed.2d 432 (1997), this court is still reviewing that original panel decision. Consequently, Judge Keith is still eligible to serve.
I took senior status on May 13, 1995. However, as an active judge, I participated in *642the poll that considered whether to rehear this case en banc. This court granted the request and entered its order on January 4, 1995. The ease was scheduled for argument on June 14,1995. A local rule — which is still in effect — permitted my service as a senior judge since I had participated in the poll. Sixth Cir. R. 14(d). In the absence of any contrary statute, we applied this rule, as we have numerous times, to ease the burdens of scheduling our periodic en banc hearings.
Subsequent to the application of our local rule and following our hearing of the case, Congress amended 28 U.S.C. § 46(e) to permit a senior judge to serve in en banc cases where he or she had been in active service at the time the case was heard.2 The relationship between our local rule and the Congressional amendment may hold some prospective conflict.3 However, we followed our local rule prior to the amendment of the Congressional statute. Given the recent Supreme Court decisions governing retroactive application of federal statutes, the issue warrants no further scrutiny. See Lindh v. Murphy, — U.S. -, 117 S.Ct. 2059, 138 L.Ed.2d 481 (1997); Rivers v. Roadway Exp., Inc., 511 U.S. 298, 114 S.Ct. 1510, 128 L.Ed.2d 274 (1994).
CONCURRENCE

. Of the thirty-four cases alluded to here, ten were consolidated for oral argument. The point, however, is that the composition of an en banc court has not been challenged from March 1989 until now.

. To the extent that the Supreme Court remand of this case could be construed as a "new” en banc panel, this court has considered the matter since the statute was amended. As recently as April 22, 1997 — nine months after amendment of the statute in question — this court voted to maintain the composition of the en banc panel as in the initial en banc hearing. Judge Keith and I were thus included as part of the present panel. This decision suggests that Local Rule 14(d) and the amended statute are not inconsistent.

. To characterize any conflict between our local rule and the Congressional amendment as such is indeed generous. The statute, as amended, reads in pertinent part:
any senior circuit judge of the circuit shall be eligible (1) to participate, at his election and upon designation and assignment pursuant to section 294(c) of this title and the rules of the circuit, as a member of an in banc court reviewing a decision of a panel of which such judge was a member, or (2) to continue to participate in the decision of a case or controversy that was heard or reheard by the court in banc at a time when such judge was in regular active service.
28 U.S.C. § 46(c) (emphasis added). It is by no means a certainty that this provision provides a ceiling with respect to senior judge participation on an en banc court. This court would have to determine whether application in this context would be retroactive. If so, the court would then have to exempt this case from the recent line of Supreme Court decisions governing retroactivity. If not, the court would have to determine whether the statute was intended to restrict senior judge participation to the enumerated instances or whether the statute sets forth a baseline set of conditions for such en banc service. In short, this court would have to make many more substantive legal decisions before arriving at Judge Boggs’s conclusion.