Reversing a 2015 decision by the Ninth Circuit, 804 F.3d 1051, this decision holds that an appellate court should review a district court’s decision to enforce or quash an administrative subpoena, such as an EEOC subpoena in this case, under the abuse of discretion standard rather than the de novo standard of review. Furthermore, the district court properly construes “relevance” broadly in regard to enforcement of an administrative subpoena so as to permit the EEOC access to virtually any material that might cast light on the allegations against the employer.
United States Supreme Court (Sotomayor, J.; Ginsburg, J., concurring in part & dissenting in part); April 3, 2017; 2017 WL 1199454