This case answers a narrow but important question: if you’re a private company doing work for the federal government and you get sued, you can’t immediately appeal to a higher court just because you say the government told you to do it. You have to go through the trial first, make your case there, and appeal afterward like everyone else.

The deeper issue is about accountability. When the government outsources work to private companies, those companies step into a gray zone between public authority and private responsibility.

music for the podcast provided by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dimitry Taras