MLchartDataset catalogue

Abstention doctrine

Term · Law · MLC-T-LAW-005298

A principle under which federal courts decline to exercise jurisdiction over a case, even when they technically have it, to avoid interfering with ongoing state court proceedings or state administrative actions. This judicial self-restraint is applied in specific circumstances, such as when a federal constitutional issue hinges on an unsettled question of state law. The Pullman abstention doctrine, for instance, applies when state law is unclear.

Table 1. Record
IdentifierMLC-T-LAW-005298
FieldLaw
Record as JSON 
{
  "id": "MLC-T-LAW-005298",
  "term": "Abstention doctrine",
  "field": "Law",
  "definition": "A principle under which federal courts decline to exercise jurisdiction over a case, even when they technically have it, to avoid interfering with ongoing state court proceedings or state administrative actions. This judicial self-restraint is applied in specific circumstances, such as when a federal constitutional issue hinges on an unsettled question of state law. The Pullman abstention doctrine, for instance, applies when state law is unclear.",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/law/abstention-doctrine/"
}

Record 40 of 5,445 in Law terminology (MLC-0107). Request the full dataset.