Abstention

{
  "id": "MLC-T-LAW-000279",
  "term": "Abstention",
  "field": "Law",
  "definition": "A doctrine under which a federal court declines to exercise its jurisdiction over a case, typically to avoid interfering with state court proceedings or state law matters. This judicial self-restraint is applied in specific circumstances, such as when a state court has not yet interpreted a state law that is central to the federal case. The Pullman abstention doctrine, for example, applies when a state court's interpretation of an unclear state law could resolve a federal constitutional question.",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/law/abstention/"
}