Skip to main content

No. 25-7614October Term 2025Before Arguments

Docket 25-7614October Term 2025 (2025–2026)

Orpheus Hanley, et ux., Petitioners v. Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission

from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Western District.

Case status

Current stage
Before Arguments
Latest event
Accepted by the Court
Decision timing
No window until argument is scheduled.
Case AcceptedUpcoming
Arguments AheadUpcoming
Decision ReleasedUpcoming
What it's about

from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Western District.

Question presented

1. Whether the Supremacy Clause and federal preemption principles are violated when a state utility commission mandates the installation of an advanced metering device without an affirmative customer request, in conflict with federal statutes — including the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA), the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) — and with state statues such as the Pennsylvania Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act (Act 138 of 1996, amended by Act 129 of 2008) (“ Customer Choice Act ”) that require customer initiation. 2. Whether compelling installation of smart meters without customer consent or request, and replacing statutory “ customer choice ” requirements with “ opt-out ” or “ opt-in ” schemes, violates constitutional protections under the Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments by presuming consent, denying refusal rights, authorizing physical intrusions and privacy-invasive data collection, and depriving consumers of meaningful process or judicial review. 3. Whether the lack of uniformity in state regulatory interpretations and enforcement of federal metering statutes undermines national consistency in energy policy and consumer protections, warranting Supreme Court intervention to resolve conflicting decisions and restore uniform federal standards.

Case path

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Western District / 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.

The Court does not announce decision dates in advance.Argument and decision days

Grounding

Grounding
Primary-source trail available.
Note
Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
Checked
Sep 1, 2026
Primary materials3