Today I attended oral argument at the Supreme Court. The first case of the day was Coney Island Auto Parts, Inc. v. Burton. This was not exactly a high-profile dispute. I had assigned this case in my Supreme Court simulation class, but I had a personal interest in the dispute. My mom grew up in Seagate, Brooklyn, about three miles from the auto shop. And Daniel Ginzburg represented the petitioner. The solo practitioner from Freehold, New Jersey was making his debut before the Supreme Court. His office was about 30 miles from my childhood home in Staten Island. This case felt very homey for me.
The question presented was fun, but nerdy: "Whether Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(c)(1) imposes any time limit to set aside a void default judgment for lack of personal jurisdiction."
Ginzburg told Bloomberg Law that big firms offered to take over the case, but he decided to argue it himself:
