Court Opinion

ID: 9470624
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 03:11:25.754347+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:42:01.131139
License: Public Domain

OAKES, Circuit Judge
(concurring):
While I fully appreciate that Judge Winter’s opinion for the court does not reach the merits, and hence concur in it, I write out of an abundance of caution only to make it plain that the language to the effect that the Secretary’s authority to order recoupment is not “jurisdictional in nature,” not be misconstrued. The Government, which has cited to us Orange County, New York v. United States Department of Labor, 636 F.2d 889 (2d Cir.1980) (per curiam order), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 966, 101 S.Ct. 1483, 67 L.Ed.2d 615 (1981), as support for the agency’s de facto authority to recoup when the availability of that remedy was never raised as an issue, should understand quite clearly that the jurisdictional language in Judge Winter’s opinion is just that and in no way goes to the merits. I say this bearing in mind that if we were to reach the merits, I have every reason to believe that my own vote at least would be cast against any finding that the sanction of recoupment was a permissible one under the 1973 Comprehensive Employment and Training Act prior to the 1978 amendment in 29 U.S.C. § 816(d)(1) (Supp. V 1981). See generally State of New Jersey v. Hufstedler, 662 F.2d 208 (3d Cir.1981), cert. granted sub nom. Bell v. New Jersey, - U.S. -, 103 S.Ct. 48, 74 L.Ed.2d 55 (1982).