US supreme court backs FCC in clash with wireless carriers over fines

Key points

• The US supreme court backed the Federal Communications Commission’s system for levying fines, ruling on Thursday against wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon in their challenge to the agency and handing a win to Donald Trump’s administration.
• The ruling was 8-1. At issue in the legal dispute was whether the agency’s in-house proceedings for imposing the penalties deprived the companies of their right to a jury trial under the US constitution.
• Trump’s administration defended the FCC’s system for assessing financial penalties, known as forfeiture orders.
• The conservative chief justice, John Roberts, authored the ruling.
• Clarence Thomas, a conservative justice, was the court’s lone dissenter.