Ninth Circuit: Abstention Inapplicable in First Amendment Cases by Mark Wilson Ninth Circuit: Abstention Inapplicable in First Amendment Cases by Mark Wilson On April 7, 2014, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a district court had improperly abstained from hearing a claim that a state court violated the …

Fifth Circuit Holds Younger Doctrine Precludes Challenge to Louisiana Public Defender Fees by Fifth Circuit Holds Younger Doctrine Precludes Challenge to Louisiana Public Defender Fees   On April 16, 2012, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Younger abstention doctrine prohibits federal court challenges to Louisiana's public defender …

No Federal Court Jurisdiction Over Article 78 Claim by A federal court cannot exercise supplemental jurisdiction over an Article 78 proceeding because state statutes specify where such a proceeding shall be brought, i.e., in state Supreme Court in the county specified by statute. (That would seem to suggest that state …

Abstention Doctrine Discussed by The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a federal court may not abstain from jurisdiction over a case because resolution of a federal question may result in the overturning of a state policy. This action brought by the next of kin of four young people …