Supreme Court to Hear Apple Appeal Over Epic Games App Store Contempt Ruling

According to Bloomberg’s Leah Nylen, the justices agreed to review whether Apple was properly held in contempt after a federal judge found the company failed to comply with an injunction requiring it to allow developers to direct users to alternative payment options outside the App Store.

The case, which is expected to be argued during the Court’s next term beginning in October, stems from Epic’s 2020 antitrust lawsuit challenging Apple’s control over app distribution and in-app payments on iPhones.

Although U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected Epic’s monopoly claims in 2021, she ordered Apple to stop preventing developers from steering customers to outside payment methods. Apple later revised its App Store policies but continued charging commissions on many purchases completed through external links.

Judge Gonzalez Rogers ruled in 2025 that those changes violated the injunction, holding Apple in civil contempt. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld that decision, prompting Apple’s appeal to the Supreme Court.

Related: Epic Urges Supreme Court to Reject Apple’s Appeal in Ongoing App Store Dispute

Apple argues it complied with the injunction and that the lower courts improperly expanded its requirements. Epic counters that Apple’s revised policies preserved the economics of its App Store business model while undermining the court’s order.

According to Reuters, the Supreme Court’s review will focus on the contempt ruling rather than revisit Epic’s broader antitrust claims against Apple.

The case arrives as Apple faces continued scrutiny over its App Store practices from competition authorities around the world. Regulators in the United Kingdom, European Union and elsewhere have examined whether restrictions on app distribution and payment systems limit competition and consumer choice, while developers have pushed for greater freedom to use alternative billing options.

The Supreme Court’s decision could clarify how far technology companies can go in implementing court-ordered changes to platform rules and how aggressively lower courts may enforce those injunctions. According to Bloomberg, the case marks Apple’s latest effort to overturn the contempt finding, with arguments expected during the Court’s upcoming term.