Conservative Supreme Court justices seem open to an attack on the Securities and Exchange Commission

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative Supreme Court justices seem open to a challenge to how the Securities and Exchange Commission fights fraud, in a case that could have far-reaching effects on other regulatory agencies. A majority of the nine-member court Wednesday suggested people accused of fraud by the SEC should have the right to have their cases decided by a jury in federal court instead of by the SEC’s in-house administrative law judges. The case is among several this term in which conservative and business interests are urging the court to constrict federal regulators. The court already has reined them in, including in May’s decision sharply limiting their ability to police water pollution in wetlands.