Supreme Court rejects Apple's bid to pause Epic Games contempt ruling

• Justice Elena Kagan declined to pause the Ninth Circuit ruling that held Apple in contempt over App Store fees.
• Tim Sweeney said the Supreme Court "considered Apple's delaying motion and found it unworthy."
• Apple imposed a 27% commission on purchases made through non-Apple payment links, just three points below its standard App Store rate

The US Supreme Court has rejected Apple's request to temporarily block a judicial order that found the company in violation of court-mandated changes to its App Store.

As reported by Reuters, Justice Elena Kagan, acting on behalf of the court, declined to pause the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that held Apple in contempt over App Store fees.

The court's latest decision deals a fresh blow to the iPhone maker in its long-running antitrust battle with Fortnite developer Epic Games.

Back to the trial court

The decision sends Apple back to US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, where the company will argue over what commission it can lawfully charge for certain app-related transactions. 

Apple's Supreme Court bid had been aimed at staving off a return to the trial court while it pursued its broader legal challenge.

“The Supreme Court has considered Apple's delaying motion and found it unworthy," said Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney in a post. 

“Now Apple will have to come clean with the District Court and show exactly what its costs are for reviewing apps with competing payment systems, so they can bill developers for those costs."

The contempt order stems from Epic's 2020 lawsuit seeking to loosen Apple's grip on iOS app transactions. Although Apple largely defeated the case, a 2021 injunction required it to let developers link to non-Apple payment methods. 

Apple complied but imposed a 27% commission on those external purchases, prompting Epic to argue Apple had flouted the original ruling. The judge found Apple in civil contempt in 2025, and the Ninth Circuit upheld that finding in December.