No. 25-1379October Term 2025Petition Pending
Evangelos Souliotis, Petitioner v. Donald C. Darnell
Souliotis asks the Supreme Court to review a Sixth Circuit decision that he argues improperly created or enforced contractual obligations without consent.
Case status
- Current stage
- Petition Pending
- Latest event
- Petition pending
- Decision timing
- No decision timeline until the Court agrees to hear the case.
- What it's about
Souliotis asks the Supreme Court to review a Sixth Circuit decision that he argues improperly created or enforced contractual obligations without consent. He contends that continued reliance on that precedent violates separation-of-powers principles and interferes with individuals’ freedom to choose the terms of their contracts.
Question presented
1. Does the stare decisis authority of a court’s decision infringing on exclusive legislative power permit that court’s decision to perpetuate and broadly apply that decision against Petitioner and all subsequent litigants? 2. Does stare decisis require a court to uncritically and broadly apply against Petitioner that prior decision that unmistakably infringes upon the separation of powers, and upon the contract rights, agency, and self-determination of our citizenry—thereby undermining the right of millions of Americans to choose what they are, or are not, willing to agree to within a contract? 3. At the core, should the broadly applied stare decisis authority of the court be allowed to infringe on fundamental legislative power and thereby create a new class of contract law, a non-consensual contract?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit / Petition pending
- Area
Administrative Law, Business and Regulation
Briefing
What it's about
Evangelos Souliotis asks the Supreme Court to review a Sixth Circuit decision that he says created or enforced contract duties without consent. He argues that relying on the earlier decision violates separation-of-powers principles and limits people’s freedom to choose contract terms.
Argument
The petition for certiorari (the Court's decision whether to hear a case) has been filed, and oral argument is not yet scheduled.
Impact
The case raises questions about when courts may follow earlier decisions affecting contract obligations. It could matter to people who dispute whether they agreed to a contractual duty.
What is at stake in Souliotis v. Darnell?
Souliotis challenges court precedent that he says imposed or enforced contract obligations without consent. The dispute concerns courts’ authority to apply that precedent.
Who could be affected by the contract dispute in Souliotis v. Darnell?
People disputing whether they agreed to a contract duty could be affected. Souliotis says the precedent affects citizens’ ability to choose contract terms.
What happens next in Souliotis v. Darnell?
The Court may schedule oral argument or take another action on the petition. No decision timing has been set.
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
- Sep 3, 2026
- Method
- Methodology