Dropping Federal Claims from Complaint Eliminates Federal Jurisdiction, High Court Rules

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that when a plaintiff amends their complaint to eliminate federal claims that enabled removal to federal court, leaving only state law claims behind, federal courts no longer have jurisdiction, and the action must be remanded to state court.

In a Jan. 15 opinion authored by Justice Elena Kagan, the high court unanimously agreed with the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals that the supplemental-jurisdiction statute does not distinguish between cases removed to federal court and cases originally filed there.

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