United States Fourth Circuit

A state's sovereign immunity protects it from being brought before a federal administrative tribunal by a private party, because the immunity is not dependent upon the forum in which the state is sued.

Appellate Information

• Argued 01/22/2001
• Decided 03/12/2001
• Published 03/12/2001

Judges

• Before WILKINSON, Chief Judge, NIEMEYER, Circuit Judge, and HOWARD, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina, sitting by designation.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Warren LaForest Dean, Jr., Thompson Coburn, L.L.P., Washington, DC, for Petitioner. Andrew Howard Baida, Assistant Attorney General, Baltimore, Maryland, for Amici Curiae. Phillip Christopher Hughey, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, D.C.;  Alisa Beth Klein, Appellate Staff, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for Respondents. ON BRIEF:  Susan Taylor Wall, Elizabeth Herlong Campbell, Nexsen, Pruet, Jacobs, Pollard & Robinson, L.L.P., Charleston, South Carolina, for Petitioner.  J. Joseph Curran, Jr., Attorney General of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, for Amici Curiae States.   Thomas Panebianco, General Counsel, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, D.C., for Respondent Commission.  David W. Ogden, Assistant Attorney General, J. Rene Josey, United States Attorney, Mark B. Stern, Appellate Staff, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for Respondent United States.  Charles T. Carroll, Jr., Carl Larsen Taylor, Washington, D.C., for Amicus Curiae Association.