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- Domain: internet-finance
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@ -101,3 +101,10 @@ Wisconsin case provides concrete example: Gov. Tony Evers signed law legalizing
**Source:** Oneida Nation statement, April 2026
Oneida Nation (Wisconsin tribal gaming entity) issued statement supporting Wisconsin's lawsuit citing IGRA-protected exclusivity concerns, though not a formal co-plaintiff. Confirms tribal gaming stakeholder opposition pattern in 2nd state after California Nations Indian Gaming Association.
## Extending Evidence
**Source:** Covers.com Fourth Circuit preview, May 7 2026
Fourth Circuit oral argument framing as 'quacks like a duck' problem indicates courts may apply functional analysis (does it work like betting?) rather than formal/structural analysis (is it properly classified as a swap?). This functional approach would make tribal gaming arguments stronger because the functional similarity to sports betting becomes the decisive factor regardless of CFTC registration.

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@ -32,3 +32,10 @@ Ninth Circuit oral argument April 16, 2026 signaled pro-state direction. Massach
**Source:** Bettors Insider, Ninth Circuit oral argument April 16, 2026
Ninth Circuit panel (Judges Ryan D. Nelson, Bridget S. Bade, Kenneth K. Lee - all Trump appointees) showed strong skepticism during April 16, 2026 oral argument. Nelson's Rule 40.11 comment: 'That can't be a serious argument. It's self-certification. You can put up anything you want.' Panel repeatedly questioned swap classification AND preemption AND Rule 40.11 application. Expected ruling June-August 2026, strongly signaling pro-state outcome. The panel composition being all Trump appointees makes the skepticism more significant - prediction markets might have expected sympathy from judges whose appointing president's 2024 election was heavily bet on Polymarket, but rule-of-law concerns about gaming contracts transcended political sympathy.
## Supporting Evidence
**Source:** Covers.com Fourth Circuit preview, May 7 2026
Pre-argument analysis predicted Fourth Circuit will follow district court precedent and rule pro-state (anti-Kalshi). If confirmed, this creates a 2-1 circuit split with Third Circuit (pro-Kalshi) making SCOTUS cert near-certain. District Judge Adam B. Abelson denied Kalshi's preliminary injunction on August 1, 2025, finding state gaming authority can coexist with CFTC regulation.

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# Adam B. Abelson
**Role:** Federal District Judge
**Court:** Unknown district (Maryland-related case)
## Timeline
- **2025-08-01** — Denied Kalshi's preliminary injunction in KalshiEX LLC v. Martin, finding state gaming authority can coexist with CFTC regulation

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# Fourth Circuit Kalshi v. Martin Preemption Case
# Fourth Circuit Kalshi Maryland Preemption Case
**Case:** KalshiEX LLC v. Martin, No. 25-1892 (4th Cir.)
**Status:** Oral argument completed May 7, 2026; ruling pending (expected July-September 2026)
**Kalshi counsel:** Neal Katyal
**Case:** KalshiEX LLC v. Martin, No. 25-1892
**Court:** United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
**Status:** Oral argument held May 7, 2026
**Issue:** Whether Maryland Gaming Commission can regulate Kalshi's sports event contracts despite CFTC registration
## Background
Maryland district court denied Kalshi preliminary injunction in August 2025, finding:
- No "clear and manifest purpose" by Congress to preempt state gambling laws
- CEA's Special Rule expressly preserves state authority
- Absence of express preemption language for gaming
- Congress apparently intended to leave Wire Act, IGRA, PASPA undisturbed
District court (Judge Adam B. Abelson) denied Kalshi's preliminary injunction on August 1, 2025, finding state gaming authority can coexist with CFTC regulation.
## Kalshi's Fourth Circuit Arguments
## Oral Argument (May 7, 2026)
**Core thesis:** "Maryland Ignored the CEA's Text"
- CEA gives CFTC "exclusive jurisdiction" over DCM-listed contracts
- "Mountains of authority confirm that the CEA preempts application of state law"
- Uniform national regulation purpose: "Letting each state regulate prediction markets differently would plainly frustrate Congress's aim"
- CFTC's Special Rule "supports" sports contract legality
**Kalshi counsel:** William E. Havemann (14 min + 6 min rebuttal)
**Maryland counsel:** Max F. Brauer (20 min)
**Time:** 9:30 a.m.
## Maryland's Counter-Arguments
**Framing:** Covers.com characterized the case as Kalshi's "Quacks Like a Duck" problem, indicating the core issue is whether sports event contracts are substantively identical to betting despite CFTC registration.
- Congress intentionally excluded swaps from state preemption (Dodd-Frank deleted swap preemption from Section 12(e)(2))
- 7 U.S.C. § 16(h) shows Congress knows how to expressly preempt when intended — didn't do so for gaming/swaps
- State gambling laws coexist with CFTC federal oversight by design
## Predicted Outcome
## CFTC Amicus Brief
Pre-argument analysis predicted Fourth Circuit will follow district court precedent and rule pro-state (anti-Kalshi). If so, creates 2-1 circuit split with Third Circuit (pro-Kalshi), making SCOTUS cert near-certain.
CFTC filed on its own behalf with significant scope expansion:
- "At least eight Designated Contract Markets have collectively self-certified more than 3,000 event-based contracts" covering agricultural, metal, energy, and financial derivatives — not just sports
- Swap definition's "any agreement" language captures event contracts as originally intended
- National market mechanics: state requirements create physical impossibility for nationally operating DCMs
## Significance
## 38-State AG Amicus Brief
Filed supporting Maryland/Massachusetts. Core argument: states have traditional gambling regulation authority that coexists with CFTC oversight. Focus: sports betting contracts exclusively.
## Circuit Split Context
- **Third Circuit** (April 6, 2026): Pro-CFTC preemption (for DCMs)
- **Fourth Circuit**: Oral argument May 7, 2026 — district court was pro-state
- **Ninth Circuit**: Pending (June-August 2026) — signaled pro-state
- **Sixth Circuit** (Ohio): Fast-tracked, ruling September-October 2026; intra-circuit split active
- **SJC Massachusetts**: Pending (August-November 2026) — signaled pro-state
If Fourth Circuit rules pro-state, circuit split becomes 2-1, significantly increasing SCOTUS cert probability above current 64% (Polymarket).
## Governance Market Gap
No party brief, amicus brief, academic filing, or practitioner preview mentions governance markets, decision markets, futarchy, or endogenous settlement mechanisms. This is the 38th consecutive session with this finding.
The "quacks like a duck" framing suggests the panel may approach the case with functional analysis (does it work like betting?) rather than formal/structural analysis (is it properly classified as a swap?). A functional-analysis court would be more hostile to structural/endogeneity defenses.
## Timeline
- **2025-08** — Maryland district court denies Kalshi preliminary injunction
- **2026-05-07** — Fourth Circuit oral argument (Neal Katyal for Kalshi)
- **2026-07 to 2026-09** — Expected ruling window
## Sources
- MCAI Lex Vision Fourth Circuit preview
- Bettors Insider analysis
- Jones Walker legal analysis
- National Law Review coverage
- **2025-08-01** — District Judge Adam B. Abelson denied Kalshi's preliminary injunction
- **2026-05-07** — Oral argument held before Fourth Circuit panel

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# Max F. Brauer
**Role:** Counsel for Maryland in Fourth Circuit Kalshi preemption case
**Affiliation:** Maryland Gaming Commission (or representing Maryland state interests)
## Timeline
- **2026-05-07** — Argued for Maryland in Fourth Circuit oral argument (KalshiEX LLC v. Martin, No. 25-1892), allocated 20 minutes

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# William E. Havemann
**Role:** Arguing counsel for Kalshi in Fourth Circuit Maryland preemption case
**Affiliation:** Unknown (possibly working with Neal Katyal as lead counsel)
## Timeline
- **2026-05-07** — Argued for Kalshi in Fourth Circuit oral argument (KalshiEX LLC v. Martin, No. 25-1892), allocated 14 minutes plus 6 minutes rebuttal

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@ -7,10 +7,13 @@ date: 2026-05-07
domain: internet-finance
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: unprocessed
status: processed
processed_by: rio
processed_date: 2026-05-08
priority: high
tags: [fourth-circuit, Maryland, kalshi, prediction-markets, oral-argument, circuit-split, regulatory]
intake_tier: research-task
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---
## Content