The case of Arthrex v. Smith & Nephew at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit was something of a nuclear option for the patent dispute at hand, as it raised a constitutional question regarding the appointment of administrative patent judges (APJ) at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a consolidation of three petitions for cert arising from the Arthrex case, the outcome of which could force the reopening of a number of cases already decided by the PTAB.