(1) Under the law of the case doctrine, of which the mandate rule is a branch, issues resolved by an appellate court on appeal generally bind that court on a subsequent appeal.
(2) Under the mandate rule, a district court must carry out the appellate court’s mandate and do nothing else.
(3) Judge Harris dissented, explaining that an appellate court should grant more deference to a district court’s interpretation of its own order, especially when that order is something that the district court, as opposed to the parties, drafted after hearing evidence.