Strawbridge v. Curtiss
Encyclopedia
Strawbridge v. Curtiss, 7 U.S. 267
(1806), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States
first addressed the question of complete diversity. In a 158 word opinion the court held that for federal diversity jurisdiction
under section 11 of the Judiciary Act of 1789
, every party on one side must be citizens of a different state. Therefore, when there are joint plaintiff
s or defendant
s, jurisdiction must be established as to each party. This requirement remains in law as a matter of statutory interpretation
, not constitutional law.
Case citation
Case citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...
(1806), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
first addressed the question of complete diversity. In a 158 word opinion the court held that for federal diversity jurisdiction
Diversity jurisdiction
In the law of the United States, diversity jurisdiction is a form of subject-matter jurisdiction in civil procedure in which a United States district court has the power to hear a civil case where the persons that are parties are "diverse" in citizenship, which generally indicates that they are...
under section 11 of the Judiciary Act of 1789
Judiciary Act of 1789
The United States Judiciary Act of 1789 was a landmark statute adopted on September 24, 1789 in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary...
, every party on one side must be citizens of a different state. Therefore, when there are joint plaintiff
Plaintiff
A plaintiff , also known as a claimant or complainant, is the term used in some jurisdictions for the party who initiates a lawsuit before a court...
s or defendant
Defendant
A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute...
s, jurisdiction must be established as to each party. This requirement remains in law as a matter of statutory interpretation
Statutory interpretation
Statutory interpretation is the process by which courts interpret and apply legislation. Some amount of interpretation is always necessary when a case involves a statute. Sometimes the words of a statute have a plain and straightforward meaning. But in many cases, there is some ambiguity or...
, not constitutional law.