United States Ninth Circuit

The Ashcroft Directive is unlawful and unenforceable because it violates the plain language of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, contravenes Congress' express legislative intent, and oversteps the bounds of the Attorney General's statutory authority.

Appellate Information

• Argued 05/07/2003
• Decided 05/26/2004
• Published 05/26/2004

Judges

• TALLMAN, Circuit Judge., Before: LAY,WALLACE, and TALLMAN, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Daniel Avila, Everett, MA;  Gregory S. Baylor, Annandale, VA;  Thane W. Tienson, Landye Bennet & Brumstein, Portland, OR;  Mark E. Chopko, Washington, DC;  Richard E. Coleson, Bopp, Coleson & Bostrom, Terre Haute, IN;  Rebecca P. Dick, Swidler Berlin Shereff & Friedman, Washington, DC;  Donald A. Daugherty, Jr., Michael Best & Friedrich, Milwaukee, WI;  Robert A. Free, MacDonald, Hoague & Bayless, Seattle, WA;  Katherine Heekin, Markowitz Herbold Glade & Mehlhaf, Portland, OR;  Arthur B. LaFrance, Portland, OR;  Max Lapertosa, Chicago, IL;  Rita L. Marker, Steubenville, OH;  Mitchell Olejko, Morrison & Foerster, San Francisco, CA;  John H. Pickering, Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, Washington, DC;  Wesley J. Smith, Oakland, CA;  William R. Stein, Hughes Hubbard & Reed, Washington, DC;  Joel H. Thornton, Washington, DC;  Thomas Triplett, Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, Portland, OR;  Harris J. Yale, New York, NY;  and Miles J. Zaremski, Schaumburg, IL, for the amici.


• For Appellees:
  
• Gregory G. Katsas, Deputy Asst. Attorney General, Jonathan H. Levy, and R. Craig Green, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for the defendants/appellants., Robert B. Rocklin, Asst. Attorney General, Oregon Department of Justice, Salem, OR, for the plaintiff/appellee., Eli D. Stutsman, Portland, OR, for physician/pharmacist plaintiffs-intervenors/appellees., Nicholas W. van Aelstyn, Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, San Francisco, CA;  and Kathryn L. Tucker, Compassion in Dying Federation, Seattle, WA, for the patient plaintiffs-intervenors/appellees.