Supreme Court OKs Chrysler Sale to Fiat

WASHINGTON – June 9, 2009: Late this afternoon the U.S. Supreme Court gave the final go-ahead for Chrysler's sale to Fiat, turning down the last-ditch efforts by opponents to queer the deal. The court rejected a plea to block the sale of most of Chrysler's assets to Fiat. It was feared by Chrysler, Fiat and the Obama administration that the high court's continued intervention would scuttle the sale.

Last Friday a federal appeals court in New York approved the sale, but gave opponents until Monday afternoon to try to get the Supreme Court to intervene. Yesterday, just minutes before a 4PM deadline, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ordered a temporary delay.

Opponents of the deal include a trio of Indiana pension plans, consumer groups and individuals with product-related lawsuits.

In today's action the court issued a brief, unsigned opinion explaining that to obtain a delay, or stay, someone must show that at least four of the nine justices find that the issue raised is serious enough to warrant hearing a full appeal and that a majority of the court will conclude the lower court decision was wrong. "The applicants have not carried that burden," the court said.