Reflections on Our Work Being Cited by the U.S. Supreme Court
Earlier this year, I experienced one of those moments that remind you why we do what we do. In September 2025, the United States Supreme Court cited legal work that Eric Lewellyn and I authored in its decision in Keathley v. Buddy Ayers Construction, Inc. You can view the opinion on the Supreme Court’s website here.
A Brief Background on Keathley v. United States
The Keathley case addressed key questions about the scope of administrative authority and procedural due process in federal enforcement proceedings. It examined how far an agency can go in interpreting statutory limits when imposing penalties and what procedural safeguards apply when individuals challenge those actions.
In its decision, the Court cited our work analyzing those same principles – particularly how procedural protections and statutory interpretation intersect when agencies exercise delegated power.
Why This Citation Matters
Seeing our reasoning referenced by the Supreme Court was both humbling and deeply meaningful. It doesn’t imply the Court adopted our position outright, but it does mean that our analysis contributed to the broader legal conversation at the nation’s highest level.
For Eric and me, that’s what practicing law at this level is all about – engaging seriously with complex legal questions and presenting arguments that add clarity to difficult issues.
Our work on administrative and constitutional law has always been rooted in the idea that process matters. The Keathley decision reflects just how important those principles remain in maintaining the balance between agency authority and individual rights.
Personal Reflection
When we wrote the analysis that the Court later cited, we weren’t thinking about recognition. We were focused on getting the law right – building a sound argument supported by careful reasoning.
Moments like this serve as a reminder that rigorous, well-researched legal work has a life of its own. Once it’s published, it can inform decisions far beyond the immediate case or client.
I’m grateful to our clients, colleagues, and the legal community who challenge us to think critically and to uphold the integrity of the legal process every day.
Looking Ahead
At Alders & Lewellyn, PLLC, we’ll continue to approach every case and every argument with the same level of depth and respect for the law that brought this recognition. Whether it’s appellate work, constitutional issues, or complex statutory interpretation, our commitment remains the same – clarity, precision, and principled advocacy.
We’re honored that our work was part of a Supreme Court discussion that will help shape administrative law for years to come.
Managing Partner | Memphis Car Accident and Personal Injury Attorney
Austin Alders is the managing partner of Alders & Lewellyn, PLLC, a Memphis personal injury firm representing people injured in car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, rideshare, and railroad accidents throughout Shelby County and West Tennessee. He is licensed in Tennessee (BPR No. 034843) and admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
He is a Memphian by every measure. He graduated from Cordova High School, then earned two degrees from the University of Memphis - Criminal Justice and History - graduating cum laude in 2012. He went straight from there to the University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, and was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 2016.
Austin began his career at a five-person personal injury firm and became head of its pre-litigation department during a stretch in which the firm quadrupled in size. He learned how injury claims are built and how insurers work to devalue them, and he came away wanting to practice differently. In 2019 he founded what would become Alders & Lewellyn.
His core value is simple and he applies it without exception: every client is treated like family, with equal care and attention. Every client gets his personal cell number. Nobody is handed off to an assistant or junior counsel - the attorney you meet with is the attorney who handles your case.
That principle shows up most clearly in the cases other firms would not take. In one fatal hit-and-run matter, several firms had already turned the family away when Austin located $130,000 in available coverage and recovered every dollar of it for them.
Outside the practice, he is a lifelong supporter of the Memphis Grizzlies and an enthusiastic advocate for the city's restaurants.
Austin Alders is admitted to practice in Tennessee under the name Austen Louis Alders, BPR No. 034843.
Practice Focus
Car and auto accident claims
Truck and tractor-trailer collisions
Motorcycle and bicycle accidents
Rideshare (Uber and Lyft) accidents
Railroad and FELA injury claims
Hit-and-run and uninsured/underinsured motorist claims
Drunk driving accident claims
Wrongful death
Representative Results
$750,000 - Motor Vehicle Accident. The client was cited after a truck driver gave police a false account. Attorney Alders obtained camera footage establishing what actually happened, and Attorney Lewellyn caught the driver in multiple inconsistencies during deposition. The insurer came to the table afterward.
$650,000 - Tractor-Trailer Accident. A Shelby County rear-end collision in which the client pulled the defendant from a burning truck. Attorneys Alders and Lewellyn established that the defendant had fallen asleep at the wheel and resolved the matter in mediation.
$130,000 - Wrongful Death. A fatal hit-and-run that several firms had declined. Attorney Alders identified $130,000 in coverage and recovered the full amount for the family.
Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. Every case depends on its own facts.
Credentials at a Glance
TN Bar Admitted Tennessee, 2016
Bar Number 034843
Federal Courts U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee
Law School University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, J.D.
Undergraduate University of Memphis, B.A. Criminal Justice and B.A. History, cum laude
