United States Fourth Circuit

A state commission's consent to federal appellate review is not tantamount to consenting to being a party in federal court litigation for Eleventh Amendment purposes, and the State commission's decision allowing reciprocal compensation for local telephone calls to Internet service providers does not violate the federal understanding of the 1996 Telecommunications Act allowing for ex Parte Young liability.

Appellate Information

• Argued 05/01/2000
• Decided 02/14/2001
• Published 02/14/2001

Judges

• Before WIDENER, NIEMEYER, and KING, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Sean Abram Lev, Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd & Evans, P.L.L.C., Washington, D.C.;  Mark Bernard Stern, Appellate Staff, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for Appellants.  Susan Stevens Miller, General, Public Service Commission of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, for Appellees. ON BRIEF:  Mark L. Evans, Aaron M. Panner, Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd & Evans, P.L.L.C., Washington, DC;  James P. Garland, Miles & Stockbridge, P.C., Baltimore, MD;  David K. Hall, Vice President & General, Bell Atlantic-Maryland, Inc., Baltimore, MD;  William Schultz, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Lynne A. Battaglia, United States Attorney, Christopher J. Wright, General, John E. Ingle, Deputy Associate General, Susan L. Launer, Deputy Associate General, Charles W. Scarborough, Appellate Staff, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for Appellants.  Paul M. Smith, Darryl M. Bradford, John R. Harrington, Daniel J. Weiss, Jenner & Block, Chicago, IL;  Adam H. Charnes, Mark B. Ehrlich, MCI Worldcom, Inc., Washington, DC;  David L. Lawson, Michael D. Warden, Stephen B. Kinnaird, Sidley & Austin, Washington, DC;  Matthew W. Naden, Kelly Culp Hoelzer, Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver, P.C., Baltimore, MD;  Michael A. McRae, AT & T, Oakton, VA;  Glen K. Allen, Carville B. Collins, Piper, Marbury, Rudnick & Wolfe, Baltimore, MD;  James C. Falvey, E. Spire Communications, Inc., Annapolis Junction, MD, for Appellees.