Texas Judge Moves Challenge on Credit Card Fees to D. C.

On Thursday, a Texas federal appeals court transferred a policy put in place by the Biden administration that sought to curb excessive credit card fees.

Despite the court being popular among conservatives who seek to challenge President Joe Biden’s (D) policies, U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman sent the case to Washington, D.C. Pittman stated that most of the companies and lawyers were based in the nation’s capital.

The plaintiffs rebutted against Pittman’s logic and stated that the ruling could still affect those in Fort Worth and the state of Texas.

However, Pittman viewed the lawyers’ attempt to take the lawsuit to Texas as a way of finding the most advantageous place to win a case, regardless of if the location was relevant to the actual issue.

“Venue is not a continental breakfast; you cannot pick and choose on a plaintiffs’ whim where and how a lawsuit is filed,” said the district judge.

The policy in question places a maximum of $8 on credit card late fees, which is less than a third of what the previous maximum was. However, if the credit card companies can prove that they need to use higher fees, a larger charge will be used.

The Texas courts have made news recently for their stances on several political issues. On Wednesday, a federal appeals court refused to put the controversial immigration law back in effect.

Texas Republicans have repeatedly pushed for Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) bill. However, the recent 2-1 ruling that came at the hands of a conservative appeals court makes it seem extra unlikely that the law will ever go into effect—a major blow for the Texas governor.

“For nearly 150 years, the Supreme Court has held that the power to control immigration—the entry, admission and removal of noncitizens—is exclusively a federal power,” wrote Chief Judge Priscilla Richman.

Richman continued, “Despite this fundamental axiom, SB 4 creates separate, distinct state criminal offenses and related procedures regarding unauthorized entry of noncitizens into Texas from outside the country and their removal.”