Argument preview: Where a federal statute is silent, do third-party beneficiaries of a government contract have a right to sue?

On January 19, in Astra USA, Inc. v. Santa Clara County, the Court will hear oral argument regarding whether federal courts can confer a private right of action for breach of contract on third-party beneficiaries of a government contract when the statute mandating the contract does not contain an express or implied cause of action.  Linda S. Mullenix, the Morris & Rita Chair in Advocacy at the University of Texas School of Law, previews the case for the American Bar Association’s PREVIEW of U.S. Supreme Court Cases; the ABA has generously agreed to share some of its previews – which are authored by practitioners and scholars in the field – with SCOTUSblog.  You can read Professor Mullenix’s preview here; PREVIEW’s website is here.