Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Co.

Summary

Justice Souter, joined by Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justices Stevens, Kennedy, Ginsburg, and Breyer, held that initial assignments of coal industry retirees made after the Coal Act's October 1, 1993, deadline remain valid and reversed both judgments of the Sixth Circuit. Although the deadline imposed a mandatory duty, it did not terminate the Commissioner's assignment authority. The statute's structure and purpose favored assigning beneficiaries to responsible operators rather than permanently shifting their costs to other funding sources. Justice Scalia, joined by Justices O'Connor and Thomas, dissented, reasoning that the statutory deadline defined the duration of the assignment power and that other provisions confirmed finality after that date. Justice Thomas also dissented separately, emphasizing the ordinary mandatory meaning of "shall" and rejecting the inference that failure to specify consequences preserves authority after a deadline.