Supreme Court·Oral argument
Justices question whether the Air Force’s Guam permit application can be challenged yet; Court returns Oct. 13
In about 75 minutes of argument Wednesday in Department of the Air Force v. Prutehi Guåhan, the justices questioned whether the Air Force’s application to renew a permit to detonate hazardous munitions on a Guam beach is a final action a group can sue over now, SCOTUSblog reported. Justice Clarence Thomas called the dispute “odd,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson suggested a “finality problem,” and Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked whether ruling for the group would open the floodgates to lawsuits over permitting decisions. After the Columbus Day holiday Monday, the Court hears Beaird v. United States on Oct. 13 and Salazar v. Paramount Global on Oct. 14, according to its argument calendar.
Sources
- SCOTUSblogJustices wrestle with procedural dispute over Air Force’s munition detonations in Guam
- Supreme Court of the United StatesArgument calendar, session beginning October 5, 2026