The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday against the federal government in a class-action suit over combat-related special compensation , paving the way for an estimated 9,000 retired service members to receive thousands of dollars in retroactive pay . In a 9-0 ruling, the justices said that a law the government applied to limit retroactive pay to six years did not apply in the case of a Marine corporal who sought combat-related disability pay . Simon Soto enlisted in the Marine Corps in