---
type: source
title: "Circuit Split Depth Update: Four Dimensions, Fourth Circuit May 7 Oral Argument, SCOTUS Cert 64%"
author: "BettorsInsider / Norton Rose Fulbright / Holland & Knight"
url: https://bettorsinsider.com/sports-betting/2026/04/20/the-kalshi-legal-battle-is-heading-toward-the-supreme-court-heres-the-circuit-split-that-gets-it-there/
date: 2026-05-05
domain: internet-finance
secondary_domains: []
format: news-analysis
status: processed
processed_by: rio
processed_date: 2026-05-05
priority: high
tags: [circuit-split, SCOTUS, Fourth-Circuit, Ninth-Circuit, Sixth-Circuit, Kalshi, prediction-markets, preemption, Maryland, CEA]
intake_tier: research-task
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

Compiled circuit-by-circuit status as of May 5, 2026 (synthesized from BettorsInsider, Norton Rose, Holland & Knight):

| Circuit/Court | Status | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Third Circuit | Decided April 6, 2026 | Pro-CFTC preemption (DCMs only) |
| Ninth Circuit | Pending (ruling: June-August 2026) | Signaled pro-state (oral argument April 16) |
| Fourth Circuit | Oral argument **May 7, 2026** | Unknown; MD district court was pro-state |
| Sixth Circuit | Pending | Tennessee district (pro-Kalshi) vs. Ohio district (anti-Kalshi) = intra-circuit split |
| SJC Massachusetts | Pending (August-November 2026) | Signaled pro-state (oral argument May 4) |

**Fourth Circuit Maryland case details:**
- Maryland district court ruled August 2025 against Kalshi: Congress did not clearly intend to displace state gambling authority; Kalshi could comply with both federal AND state law simultaneously.
- "Compliance coexistence" finding directly contradicts Third Circuit's conflict preemption holding.
- Fourth Circuit oral argument: May 7, 2026.
- If Fourth Circuit affirms MD district → 2-circuit vs. 1-circuit split (3rd Circuit pro-CFTC; 4th Circuit pro-state; Ninth Circuit likely pro-state).

**Sixth Circuit intra-circuit split (newly tracked):**
- Tennessee Middle District: ruled for Kalshi.
- Ohio Northern District: ruled against Kalshi.
- Sixth Circuit must resolve before it counts as a circuit-level ruling.

**SCOTUS cert probability: 64%** by year-end (updated from 39% in Sessions 35-36). This represents a significant upward revision — the circuit split is now 4-dimensional, not 3-dimensional.

**Congressional action (new finding):**
- Sens. Curtis (R-UT) and Schiff (D-CA) introduced "Prediction Markets Are Gambling Act" on March 23, 2026 — would amend CEA to reclassify sports/casino event contracts as gambling outside CFTC jurisdiction.
- Senate unanimously passed ban on senators/staff betting on prediction markets.
- Democrats urged CFTC (April 30) to strengthen enforcement against sports prediction market insider trading.
- a16z filed amicus/advocacy backing CFTC against states.
- Coinbase urged CFTC to regulate under existing framework (not new gambling classification).

## Agent Notes

**Why this matters:** The circuit split is deeper than my Sessions 35-36 tracking suggested. I knew Third Circuit (pro-CFTC) vs. Ninth Circuit (likely pro-state) as the primary split. Today's research adds: Fourth Circuit oral argument May 7 (next major judicial event, 2 days away), Sixth Circuit intra-circuit split (hadn't tracked at all), and SCOTUS cert at 64% (up 25 points from my 39% figure).

**What surprised me:** The Sixth Circuit intra-circuit split — Tennessee and Ohio district courts reached opposite conclusions on identical statutory text. This means the circuit split is embedded within the Sixth Circuit, not just between circuits. The SCOTUS petition may accelerate because circuit courts themselves are splitting on their own internal cases.

**What I expected but didn't find:** Any discussion of how a SCOTUS ruling on "event contract" scope would affect non-sports, non-DCM prediction market platforms. All analysis assumes the SCOTUS question will be scoped to sports event contracts on DCMs. The governance market gap persists even at the SCOTUS-trajectory level of analysis.

**KB connections:**
- metadao-conditional-governance-markets-may-fall-outside-cftc-event-contract-definition-because-twap-settlement-against-internal-token-price-is-endogenous-not-an-external-observable-event — SCOTUS ruling could implicitly frame what "event contracts" means for ALL event-contingency products. MetaDAO's endogeneity argument provides insulation, but a broad SCOTUS definition could create new risk.
- [[futarchy-based fundraising creates regulatory separation because there are no beneficial owners and investment decisions emerge from market forces not centralized control]] — the broader structural defense that doesn't depend on the "event contract" question
- [[Living Capital vehicles likely fail the Howey test for securities classification because the structural separation of capital raise from investment decision eliminates the efforts of others prong]] — separate regulatory track, unaffected by this circuit split

**Extraction hints:**
- The circuit split now has a specific architecture worth claiming: 5-front litigation (Third, Ninth, Fourth, Sixth, SJC) with exactly one resolved pro-CFTC ruling, all others pending or pro-state. This could be a factual claim about the prediction market regulatory landscape.
- The "compliance coexistence" finding from the Maryland district court (Kalshi could comply with both federal and state law) is analytically important — it directly contradicts the Third Circuit's conflict preemption and may be the Fourth Circuit's path to a pro-state ruling without needing to reject the Third Circuit's "swaps" classification.
- SCOTUS 64% probability by year-end is a concrete data point for the regulatory uncertainty claim.

**Context:** Synthesized from multiple sources — BettorsInsider circuit-by-circuit breakdown (April 20), Norton Rose "Prediction Markets at a Crossroads" (post-SJC), Holland & Knight Third Circuit analysis. Consolidation archive for the circuit split landscape as of May 5.

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)

PRIMARY CONNECTION: metadao-conditional-governance-markets-may-fall-outside-cftc-event-contract-definition-because-twap-settlement-against-internal-token-price-is-endogenous-not-an-external-observable-event

WHY ARCHIVED: Circuit split now five-front with SCOTUS at 64%. Whatever SCOTUS holds will frame ALL event-contingency products. MetaDAO's endogeneity defense is the primary insulation against a broad SCOTUS holding.

EXTRACTION HINT: A new claim specifically about the multi-circuit prediction market regulatory fragmentation risk would be valuable. Focus on what SCOTUS resolution means for non-DCM governance market platforms versus DCM-registered platforms.
