Hillman v. Maretta

Docket No.	Op. Below	Argument	Opinion	Vote	Author	Term
11-1221	Va. S. Ct.	Apr 22, 2013 Tr.Aud.	Jun 3, 2013	9-0	Sotomayor	OT 2012

Holding: The Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Act (FEGLIA), which establishes a life insurance program for federal employees, allows an employee to designate a beneficiary to receive the proceeds of the policy when the employee dies. That law preempts a Virginia law that allows the family of a deceased employee to sue the designated beneficiary for the proceeds if the beneficiary happens to be the employee’s former spouse.

Judgment: Affirmed, 9-0, in an opinion by Justice Sotomayor on June 3, 2013. Justice Scalia joins the opinion except as to footnote 4. Justice Thomas and Justice Alito filed opinions concurring in the judgment.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

Opinion analysis: States can’t override federal employees’ life insurance designations (Tejinder Singh)
Argument recap: Looking for the less wrong answer (Tejinder Singh)
Argument preview: Divorce, death, and preemption (Tejinder Singh)
Petition of the day (Matthew Bush)

Date	Proceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
Apr 11 2012	Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due May 14, 2012)
Apr 18 2012	Order extending time to file response to petition to and including May 31, 2012.
May 18 2012	Brief of respondent Judy A. Maretta in opposition filed.
May 29 2012	DISTRIBUTED for Conference of June 14, 2012.
May 29 2012	Reply of petitioner Jacqueline Hillman filed. (Distributed)
Jun 18 2012	The Solicitor General is invited to file a brief in this case expressing the views of the United States.
Dec 14 2012	Brief amicus curiae of United States filed.
Dec 14 2012	Letter proposing a lodging of the government's group life insurance contract with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company received from the Solicitor General.
Dec 26 2012	DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 11, 2013.
Jan 11 2013	Petition GRANTED.
Feb 11 2013	SET FOR ARGUMENT ON MONDAY, April 22, 2013
Feb 22 2013	Joint appendix filed. (Statement of costs filed)
Feb 22 2013	Brief of petitioner Jacqueline Hillman filed. (Distributed)
Mar 1 2013	CIRCULATED.
Mar 7 2013	Record received from Supreme Court of Virginia. (1 Box)
Mar 25 2013	Brief of respondent Judy A. Maretta filed (Reprinted). (Distributed)
Apr 1 2013	Brief amicus curiae of Association of Federal Health Organizations filed. (Distributed)
Apr 1 2013	Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed.
Apr 1 2013	Brief amicus curiae of United States filed. (Distributed)
Apr 12 2013	Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument GRANTED.
Apr 15 2013	Reply of petitioner Jacqueline Hillman filed. (Distributed)
Apr 22 2013	Argued. For petitioner: Daniel H. Ruttenberg, Vienna, Va. For respondent: Steffen N. Johnson, Washington, D. C.; and Elaine J. Goldenberg, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.)
Jun 3 2013	Adjudged to be AFFIRMED. Sotomayor, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, and Kagan, JJ., joined, and in which Scalia, J., joined as to all but footnote 4. Thomas, J., and Alito, J., filed opinions concurring in the judgment.
Jul 5 2013	MANDATE ISSUED.
Jul 5 2013	Record returned to Supreme Court of Virginia.

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Editor's Note :

Hillman v. Maretta

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