Case Explained: 26a0223p.06

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Filed: 2026-08-07 The Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal of the plaintiffs’ “class of one” equal protection claim against the United States Postal Service for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The court held that under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), specifically 39 U.S.C. §§ 3662 and 403(c), the Postal Regulatory Commission possesses exclusive jurisdiction over complaints alleging that the Postal Service is not operating in conformance with statutory requirements, including claims of unreasonable discrimination among users. Applying the *Thunder Basin* framework to determine if Congress intended to preclude district court jurisdiction, the court found that: (1) the PAEA’s comprehensive review scheme does not foreclose meaningful judicial review because plaintiffs may file a complaint with the Commission and subsequently seek appellate review in the D.C. Circuit; (2) the constitutional claim is not “wholly collateral” to the statutory scheme because the equal protection challenge regarding discriminatory mail delivery mirrors the statutory prohibition on unreasonable discrimination under 39 U.S.C. § 403(c); and (3) the Commission has the requisite expertise to address the factual questions underlying the claim, such as whether a rational basis exists for the Postal Service’s refusal to deliver mail to specific addresses. Consequently, plaintiffs must pursue their claims through the administrative process before the Postal Regulatory Commission rather than in federal district court. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.