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United States seventh amendmentjury trialclean water act

Tull v. United States

481 U.S. 412 (1987)
JurisdictionUnited States
CourtSupreme Court of the United States
Year1987
StatusBinding authority

Key Principle

The Seventh Amendment guarantees a right to jury trial to determine liability in a government action for civil penalties (here under the Clean Water Act) because such an action is analogous to the common-law action in debt, but it does not require a jury to assess the amount of the penalty, which Congress may assign to the trial judge.

Area of Law

General

Related Cases

Klein v. Martin 607 U. S. 213 (2026)
Ellingburg v. United States 607 U.S. ___ (2026)
Inc. v. Palmquist 607 U.S. 421 (2026)

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