No. 25-1332October Term 2025Before Arguments
Larry Steven Wilkins, Petitioner v. United States, et al.
from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Case status
- Current stage
- Before Arguments
- Latest event
- Accepted by the Court
- Decision timing
- No window until argument is scheduled.
- What it's about
from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Question presented
1. Does the law of the case doctrine apply when this Court reverses a lower court’s judgment? 2. Does a property owner’s quiet title claim under the Quiet Title Act accrue based on the illegal and unauthorized actions of private citizens, rather than the actions of government officials?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit / Accepted by the Court
- Area
Supreme Court case awaiting argument
Timing
Expected by late June 2026, if argued this term
The Court granted review but has not yet scheduled oral argument. Once argued, the median case reaches a decision in 94 days. Nearly all cases are decided by the end of the term in which they are argued.
Briefing
What it's about
Larry Steven Wilkins has asked the Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit ruling in an ongoing quiet title dispute (a lawsuit over property rights) with the United States. The petition asks whether lower courts must follow earlier rulings in the same case after a Supreme Court reversal and whether the filing clock can start because of actions by private citizens, not government officials.
Argument
This is a petition for certiorari (a request that the Court hear the case), and oral argument has not been scheduled. No substantive justice or advocate reactions are available yet.
Impact
The answer could affect property owners who dispute the federal government's claimed rights in their land. For example, it could change when their deadline to sue begins and how much room lower courts have after the Supreme Court sends a case back.
What is Wilkins v. United States about?
The petition asks when a quiet title claim against the United States starts and whether private citizens' actions can start that clock. It also asks how much lower courts must follow earlier rulings after the Supreme Court reverses.
Who could be affected by Wilkins v. United States?
Property owners who challenge the federal government's claimed interest in land could be affected. The case could shape when they must sue and what facts trigger the filing deadline.
What happens next in Wilkins v. United States?
The justices will decide whether to grant certiorari, meaning whether to hear the case. No oral argument has been scheduled yet.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 23, 2026
- Method
- Methodology