By a 6-3 decision in the case of SEC v. Jarkesy, the Supreme Court ruled defendants are entitled to a jury trial under the Seventh Amendment in cases of federal agencies seeking civil penalties for alleged fraud. The decision, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, places new limits on the ability of federal agencies to charge a person or company with a violation. In the opinion for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts cites Professor Vikram Amar's scholarship, which criticized earlier cases in which the Court allowed certain disputes to be resolved before administrative agencies without the safeguards that juries provide.
Read the full opinion in the case of SEC v. Jarksey.