Plain-English summary
Court rules district courts cannot excuse the 30‑day removal deadline in 28 U.S.C. §1446(b)(1)
The Court unanimously held that federal courts lack authority to apply equitable tolling to the 30‑day removal deadline in 28 U.S.C. §1446(b)(1). Enbridge’s late removal was therefore untimely and the lower court’s decision to deny the timeliness defense was affirmed.
Why this matters
This decision limits when defendants can move state cases into federal court: the thirty‑day clock in §1446(b)(1) is strictly enforced and cannot be extended by equitable excuses. That makes removal timing more predictable but less flexible for defendants who miss the deadline for reasons the court would previously sometimes have forgiven.
Who may feel it
- Defendants seeking to remove state‑court cases to federal court
- State court plaintiffs opposing removal
- Civil litigants and their lawyers who track removal deadlines
- Federal and state courts handling removed cases
Key questions
- Whether district courts have the equitable authority to excuse the thirty‑day removal deadline in 28 U.S.C. §1446(b)(1).
- How the text and structure of §1446(b)(1) should be interpreted with respect to time‑bar rules and equitable doctrines.