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Alignment is each justice's general judicial philosophy as commonly described, not a party. Justices don't belong to parties, and they don't always vote with their bloc.
No. 25-966 · October Term 2026
May the Department of Labor legally use its own administrative proceedings to collect money from employers who violate worker contracts, or does the Constitution require such cases to be decided by a federal court?
Sun Valley Orchards, a New Jersey farm, hires seasonal workers through the H-2A visa program. Under this program, the farm must provide certain benefits, such as safe housing and transportation, which it outlines in a “job order” that serves as a work contract. After an investigation into the 2015 growing season, the Department of Labor alleged that Sun Valley breached this contract by providing infested housing, failing to provide required kitchen access, and firing workers before their contracts ended. The Department of Labor used its own administrative law judges to order Sun Valley to pay over $550,000 in civil penalties and back wages. Sun Valley sued the government, arguing that Article III of the Constitution requires a federal court—rather than an executive agency—to decide cases involving monetary remedies for contract violations. The farm also contended that the specific federal law governing the H-2A program, 8 U.S.C. §1188(g)(2), does not grant the Department of Labor the power to conduct these types of in-house trials for money damages. After a federal district court dismissed Sun Valley’s lawsuit challenging the agency’s authority, the farm appealed to the U.S.…
From Oyez.