In a rare rebuff, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday yanked two antitrust cases from its docket for next month because recent briefing by lawyers for major credit card companies “chose to rely on a different argument” than the one that persuaded the justices to take up the case in the first place.
The consolidated cases were Visa v. Osborn and Visa v. Stoumbos, which involve the antitrust implications of cooperative activities by banks and credit card companies. They were set for argument on Dec. 7. The court’s order dismissing the cases as “improvidently granted” was issued even though the justices did not meet in conference this week.
