No. 20-1143October Term 2020Decided Mar 31, 2022
Badgerow v. Walters
This case was about whether a federal court can hear a request to confirm or throw out an arbitration award under the Federal Arbitration Act by looking to the federal nature of the underlying dispute.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Mar 31, 2022
- What it's about
This case was about whether a federal court can hear a request to confirm or throw out an arbitration award under the Federal Arbitration Act by looking to the federal nature of the underlying dispute. The Supreme Court held that for requests under Sections 9 and 10, federal courts need their own independent basis for jurisdiction and cannot use the Act’s “look-through” approach from Section 4.
Question presented
Whether federal courts have subject-matter jurisdiction to confirm or vacate an arbitration award under Sections 9 and 10 of the FAA where the only basis for jurisdiction is that the underlying dispute involved a federal question.
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit / Decision released Mar 31, 2022
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Timing
Decided March 31, 2022
The Court released its decision on March 31, 2022 without hearing oral argument.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology