Emergency application
Sanctions against unserved parties
Lowery Wilkinson Lowery, LLC v. Illinois
What did the Court do?
The Court denied the request on February 20, 2026: the lower court's ruling stays in effect while the appeal continues.
Emergency rulings are temporary and do not decide the underlying case.
What's being asked
Margaret Lowery, Ronald Wilkinson, and their company ask the Supreme Court to temporarily block enforcement, collection, or use of a December 31, 2025, order. The order came from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. They say the court awarded St. Clair County, Illinois, more than $100,000, even though the county was removed from the case without being served. They also say the court refused Lowery's requests for disability accommodations in her case under the Americans with Disabilities Act. They seek a pause while appeals and requests for higher-court orders directing the lower court are considered.
What the Court did
The Court refused emergency help: Justice Gorsuch denied (turned down) the request for a temporary pause of enforcement. The Court did not publish how the justices voted. This denial does not decide who wins the underlying dispute.
What it means
The denial addresses only a temporary pause; it does not decide who wins the underlying dispute. The applicants say they are pursuing appeals and requests for higher courts to direct the lower court; the Tenth Circuit is listed. No related Supreme Court case or argument is listed.
Sources
Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 25A927. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.