McCullen v. Coakley

759 F. Supp. 2d 133, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137270, 2010 WL 5485819
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedDecember 29, 2010
DocketCivil Action 08-10066-JLT
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 759 F. Supp. 2d 133 (McCullen v. Coakley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCullen v. Coakley, 759 F. Supp. 2d 133, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137270, 2010 WL 5485819 (D. Mass. 2010).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

TAURO, District Judge.

1. Introduction

This case concerns a recently revised Massachusetts statute, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 266, § 120E1/2 (“Act”), which establishes a thirty-five-foot fixed buffer zone around driveways and entrances of reproductive health care facilities (“RHCFs”). Presently at issue are Plaintiffs’ Motion to Permit Arguments as to Facial Invalidity [# 95], Defendant’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings on the As-Applied Claims in Counts Two Through Eight [# 99], and Plaintiffs’ Motion for Leave to File Amended Complaint [# 94],

Plaintiffs’ Motion to Permit Arguments as to Facial Invalidity is DENIED; Defendant’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings is ALLOWED; and Plaintiffs’ Motion for Leave to File Amended Complaint is ALLOWED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.

II. Background 1

A. The Parties

Plaintiffs Eleanor McCullen, Jean Blackburn Zarrella, Gregory A. Smith, Carmel Farrell, and Eric Cadin are Massachusetts residents who regularly engage in pro-life counseling outside RHCFs. Defendant Attorney General Martha Coakley is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As such, Defendant bears responsibility for enforcing the Act. She is sued in her official capacity only. 2

*136 B. Procedural History

On January 16, 2008, Plaintiffs filed the Complaint, which advanced eight counts under 42 U.S.C. § 1983: (1) Free Speech— Time, Place, and Manner; (2) Free Speech — Substantial Overbreadth; (3) Free Speech — Prior Restraint; (4) “Free Speech — Free Association — Free Exercise Hybrid”; (5) Free Speech — Viewpoint Discrimination; (6) Due Process — Vagueness; (7) Due Process — Liberty Interest; and (8) Equal Protection. 3

After a Status Conference held on April 23, 2008, and without objection from the Parties, this court ordered that the matter proceed on the merits in two stages: (1) a Bench Trial on Plaintiffs’ facial challenge; and (2) a Bench Trial on Plaintiffs’ as-applied challenge. 4

On May 28, 2008, this court held the first Bench Trial, on Plaintiffs’ facial challenge. 5 In an August 22, 2008 decision, this court held that the Act survived all three facial challenge standards. 6 The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held a de novo review and affirmed this court’s decision, 7 and the Supreme Court denied Plaintiffs’ petition for certiorari at this stage of the case. 8

On September 17, 2010, Plaintiffs filed a Motion for Leave to File Amended Complaint [# 94] and a Motion to Permit Arguments as to Facial Invalidity [# 95]. On October 7, 2010, Defendant filed a Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings on the As-Applied Claims in Counts Two Through Eight [# 99]. On December 2, 2010, this court heard oral arguments on all three Motions and took them under advisement.

III. Discussion
A. Plaintiffs’ Motion to Permit Arguments as to Facial Invalidity

Despite this court’s prior decision dismissing Plaintiffs’ facial challenges, and the First Circuit’s affirmation of this court’s decision, Plaintiffs seek to “continue arguing for facial invalidation.” 9

1. Legal Standard

The “law of the case” doctrine generally requires that “a decision of an appellate tribunal on a particular issue ... governs the issue during all subsequent stages of the litigation ... and thereafter on any further appeal.” 10 The law of the case doctrine has two components: first, the “mandate rule,” which “forbids, among other things, a lower court from relitigating issues that were decided by a higher court, whether explicitly or by reasonable implication, at an earlier stage in the case”; and second, the general rule that “unless corrected by an appellate tribunal, a legal decision made at one stage of a civil or criminal case constitutes the law of the ease throughout the pendency of the litiga *137 tion.” 11 The law of the case doctrine applies to an appellate court’s ruling both if the case is on appeal of a final judgment or if the appeal is interlocutory. 12

Only three, very narrow exceptions to the law of the case doctrine exist. For a court to revisit an issue,

the proponent of reopening an already decided matter must accomplish one of three things: [1] “show that controlling legal authority has changed dramatically; [2] proffer significant new evidence, not earlier obtainable in the exercise of due diligence; or [3] convince the court that a blatant error in the prior decision will, if uncorrected, result in a serious injustice.” 13
2. Analysis

Here, Plaintiffs contend that the law of the case doctrine does not apply for two reasons. First, Plaintiffs contend that the first exception to the law of the case doctrine applies because controlling legal authority has changed dramatically. Second, Plaintiffs contend that the second exception, the existence of significant new evidence, also applies.

a. First Exception: Change in Controlling Legal Authority

To support their first argument, that controlling legal authority has changed dramatically, Plaintiffs cite two recent Supreme Court cases: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission 14 and United States v. Stevens. 15

i. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

In Citizens United, the Supreme Court struck down a federal campaign statute that banned independent expenditures by corporations. 16 The Supreme Court explained that, pursuant to the First Amendment, corporations may not be barred from engaging in political speech simply because they are not natural persons. 17

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Related

McCullen v. Coakley
134 S. Ct. 2518 (Supreme Court, 2014)
Clift v. City of Burlington
925 F. Supp. 2d 614 (D. Vermont, 2013)
McCullen v. Coakley
708 F.3d 1 (First Circuit, 2013)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
759 F. Supp. 2d 133, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137270, 2010 WL 5485819, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccullen-v-coakley-mad-2010.