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🎧 EPISODE SUMMARY 🎧Subject-matter jurisdiction is a federal court's statutory and constitutional authority over a dispute category. It cannot be created by party agreement or waiver.
Federal-question jurisdiction requires a federal issue in the plaintiff's well-pleaded complaint, not merely in a defense or counterclaim. Certain state-law claims with substantial federal issues may also qualify.
Diversity jurisdiction requires complete diversity (no plaintiff shares citizenship with any defendant) and an amount in controversy exceeding $75,000.
Citizenship depends on domicile for individuals, state of incorporation and principal place of business for corporations, and all members' citizenship for LLCs and partnerships.
The amount in controversy is based on good-faith allegations. A single plaintiff can aggregate claims against a single defendant, but multiple parties generally cannot aggregate separate claims.
Supplemental jurisdiction permits related claims sharing a common nucleus of operative fact, though restrictions apply in diversity cases and courts may decline jurisdiction for compelling reasons.
Removal transfers a case from state to federal court if subject-matter jurisdiction exists. It requires unanimous consent of all defendants and is subject to statutory deadlines and the forum-defendant rule in diversity cases.
Remand sends a case back to state court. While procedural removal defects can be waived if not timely challenged, a lack of subject-matter jurisdiction can never be waived.
Ultimately, federal jurisdiction must be evaluated claim by claim and party by party alongside applicable supplemental, removal, and remand rules.
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