Brief filed in another challenge to debit interchange rule

Working to protect the current interchange system, America’s Credit Unions filed an amicus brief together with other organizations in Linney’s Pizza v. Federal Reserve Monday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The case involves a small business that sued the Federal Reserve over its debit interchange cap rule, claiming it improperly includes certain costs in the fee cap calculation.

The district court ruled against the business in 2025, and Monday’s brief encourages the appeals court to affirm its dismissal as it correctly decided that the Fed’s debit interchange rule complies with statute.  

The brief notes that the Linney’s Pizza interpretation of the Durbin Amendment would give merchants a financial windfall while harming card issuers and consumers, and the argument runs contrary to statutory text, structure, and purpose along with well-established constitutional and statutory interpretation principles.

The case is closely related to Corner Post v. Federal Reserve, another challenge to interchange fee caps. America’s Credit Unions filed a brief in Corner Post in January, that a district court’s decision would force the Federal Reserve to impose interchange fee caps far below the actual costs incurred by debit card issuers.