No. 25-7299October Term 2025Before Arguments
Ali Mif Bey, Petitioner v. United States
from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth 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 Fourth Circuit.
Question presented
Whether a court of appeals correctly applies Kisor when it finds a term "genuinely ambiguous" based on a multiplicity of dictionary definitions alone, or by invoking the regulation's purpose to introduce rather than resolve ambiguity.
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth 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
This petition asks the Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit case about Kisor v. Wilkie, which limits when courts may accept an agency's reading of its own rule. The question is whether the lower court treated a term as "genuinely ambiguous" too easily by relying on multiple dictionary definitions or the rule's purpose.
Argument
No oral argument is scheduled. The petition says courts disagree over whether multiple dictionary definitions or a rule's purpose can make a regulation "genuinely ambiguous" under Kisor.
Impact
The answer could affect federal cases where judges must decide whether a rule is truly unclear before accepting an agency's view. That matters to people or businesses challenging how an agency reads its own regulations.
What is Ali Mif Bey v. United States about?
It asks whether the Fourth Circuit misused Kisor by calling a regulation term "genuinely ambiguous" too quickly. The petition says multiple dictionary meanings or rule purpose alone should not create ambiguity.
Who could be affected if the Court takes this case?
People, businesses, and agencies in federal rule disputes could be affected. The answer may shape when judges accept an agency's reading of its own regulation.
What happens next in Ali Mif Bey v. United States?
The justices must decide whether to grant certiorari (hear the case). No oral argument is scheduled, and no decision window is available yet.
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 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology