Apple asks US Supreme Court to review contempt order in Epic Games lawsuit
Apple has petitioned the US Supreme Court to review a contempt-of-court order in its long-running litigation with Epic Games, after the Ninth Circuit upheld the ruling. The company argues the decision over App Store payment-routing rules carries serious consequences for App Store revenue.
Apple has filed a petition for certiorari asking the US Supreme Court to take up a contempt-of-court finding in the long-running antitrust suit brought by Epic Games. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Apple's earlier challenge to that order at the start of the year.
The trial court had ruled Apple violated an anti-steering injunction by maintaining internal policies that discouraged developers from routing transactions outside the App Store. Apple says the ruling raises First Amendment questions about commercial speech, while Epic argues consumers were denied access to lower-cost alternative payments.
If the Supreme Court accepts the case, the App Store's 27–30 percent commission structure and the broader developer economy could face fresh judicial review. A decision may slip into the 2026 term; until then Apple's financial exposure and the steering rule remain in place, and developers can continue directing users to outside payment options.
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