Plain-English summary
Amendment deleting federal claims after removal ends federal jurisdiction; remand required
When a plaintiff removes federal-law claims from a complaint after the defendant has removed the case to federal court, the federal court cannot keep the remaining state-law claims under supplemental jurisdiction. The Court unanimously affirmed that such cases must be remanded to state court.
Why this matters
This decision clarifies the limits of federal-court power when plaintiffs alter their pleadings after a case has been removed: defendants cannot be forced to litigate only state-law claims in federal court when the federal hook that justified removal is removed by the plaintiff. It preserves the boundary between state and federal courts and prevents strategic manipulation of jurisdiction after removal.
Who may feel it
- Plaintiffs and defendants in cases removed from state to federal court
- Federal and state trial courts considering post-removal amendments
- Businesses and individuals facing multi-claim lawsuits including both federal and state-law claims
- Litigation counsel who consider tactical pleading or removal strategies