According to a recent filing with the California federal district court in the United States v. Nosal case, the Solicitor General, in consultation with the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office, is still deciding whether to file a writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court.
The writ would challenge the Ninth Circuit’s recent decision in the case which circumscribes the use of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to primarily hacking activities, rather than violations of employer computer usage policies or internet service providers’ terms of service/use, and request that the Supreme Court resolve the current circuit split. We previously discussed the Court’s decision and its impact. Other legal commentators such as John Marsh, Ken Vanko, and Nick Akerman have weighed in on the decision. The parties’ stipulation indicates that the government’s deadline to file the writ is July 9, 2012.
Should your company be interested in taking a side in the dispute, including joining a letter to the Solicitor General or participating in an amicus filing, please contact your Seyfarth attorney contact or submit your interest here.