The Court’s Ruling:
When the underlying “original jurisdiction”[1] case becomes moot on account of the plaintiff’s binding withdrawal of her claims therein, the Supreme Court may dismiss its case arising therefrom for lack of jurisdiction and require the intermediate Court of Appeals to dismiss its own “appellate jurisdiction”[2] case on the same ground.
By a 7-2 vote, this was the Supreme Court’s interpretation and application of the following language in the United States Constitution:
The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time establish. . . . The judicial power shall extend to all Cases . . . arising under . . . the Laws of the United States. . . .
U.S. Const., Art. III, §§ 1-2.
Justices Thomas and Jackson concurred with the Court’s seven-member majority in the complete dismissal of Ms. Laufer’s cases, but not in the Court’s reasoning for doing so.
[1] See U.S. Const., Art. III, § 2.
[2] See U.S. Const., Art. III, § 2.
RECENT RULINGS 