No. 23-861October Term 2024Decided Apr 30, 2025
Nick Feliciano, Petitioner v. Department of Transportation
This case concerns whether a federal civilian employee who is also a military reservist is entitled to differential pay when called to active duty during a national emergency, regardless of whether their specific duties are directly related to that emergency.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 30, 2025
- What it's about
This case concerns whether a federal civilian employee who is also a military reservist is entitled to differential pay when called to active duty during a national emergency, regardless of whether their specific duties are directly related to that emergency. The Supreme Court ruled that the statute only requires the service to occur temporally during a declared emergency, not that it be substantively connected to it.
Question presented
Is a federal civilian employee called or ordered to active duty under a provision of law during a national emergency entitled to differential pay even if the duty is not directly connected to the national emergency?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit / Decision released Apr 30, 2025
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Timing
Decided April 30, 2025
The Court released its decision 142 days after oral argument on December 9, 2024. The median for cases argued in December is 148 days.
Documents
Related cases




Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Mar 30, 2026
- Method
- Methodology
Primary materials9
Supreme Court docket 23-861
docket | Mar 30, 2026
Primary case document
Supreme Court document | Mar 30, 2026
CourtListener docket record
docket | Mar 30, 2026
Questions Presented
brief | Mar 8, 2026
opinion
opinion | Apr 30, 2025
Feliciano
opinion | Apr 30, 2025
Oral Arguments - Feliciano
audio | Dec 9, 2024
Petition
brief | Feb 8, 2024
Lower Court Orders/Opinions
order | Jan 11, 2024