Few legal concepts are more confusing than the rules that federal courts apply when sitting in diversity. Federal courts have limited jurisdiction. Jurisdiction loosely translates as the power to say what the law is and to whom it applies. (Courts…
Tag: First Circuit
SCOTUS follows SCOTUS, the Circuit follows the Circuit, but D.J.s don’t follow D.J.s. What gives?
One interesting facet of the federal court system is its hierarchical structure. The thirteen Circuit Courts of Appeals that sit directly below the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) must follow the Supreme Court’s binding precedent. The District Courts…
The Curious Case of U.S. v. Zaninno
High-profile cases get cited all the time by other courts and judges. In the zoning world, Euclid v. Ambler Realty Company, 272 U.S. 365 (1926), is a judicial favorite for the principle that land-use decisions pass constitutional muster when they…