Stay No More

It's not news now but just to close the loop, the Supreme Court lifted the stay on the Chrysler-Fiat sale Tuesday. In a two page opinion, the Court per curiam held that the parties requesting the stay did not carry the burden of showing: 1) reasonable probability that four Justices will consider the issue sufficiently meritorious to grant certiorari or to note probable jurisdiction; 2) a fair prospect that the majority of the Court will conclude that the decision below was erroneous; and 3) a likelihood that irreparable harm will result from denial of the stay." My inner contracts professor notes that the petitioners can be compensated for their losses, if any, with damages-- hardly a strong case for irreparable harm.

The sentence that lingers in this perfunctory opinion is the last: "Our assessment of the stay factors here is based on the record and proceedings in this case alone."

And not in response to political pressure, or based on concern about how the outcome of this case might influence the bankruptcy proceeding now pending in In re GM.

The spin on SCOTUS blog is that the Court wrote this opinion with particular care. "By the time the full Court’s order emerged shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday, it immediately was apparent that the Court had taken its time primarily to craft a legally precise order of four paragraphs. It very likely was composed largely in Justice Ginsburg’s chambers. She is noted for the highly refined, technical care with which she composed legal papers." (what a lovely thing to say about a person).

The Chrysler-Fiat deal closed today. Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne become CEO of Chrysler. Former Chrysler CEO, Bob Nardelli, packed up his desk and returned to Cerberus Capital Management, the former majority equity holder of Chrysler. Marchionne wrote to Chrysler employees: "There is no doubt in my mind that we will get the job done."

That may depend on how Americans (who are not obese or taller than 5'2") like the Fiat 500. You be the judge.