Clarification Needed: Fixing the Jurisdiction and Venue Clarification Act

Abstract:     
The Jurisdiction and Venue Clarification Act (“JVCA”) became law on December 7, 2011. The Act addresses a variety of removal issues — including unrelated federal and state claims, multiple defendants, removal of criminal cases, and the amount in controversy — and makes several major changes to the law of venue. This essay addresses one of those removal issues: the amount in controversy in a case removed from state court. I argue that there are at least three respects in which the JVCA failed to adequately clarify the law of diversity removal jurisdiction.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 6

Keywords: diversity, jurisdiction, amount, controversy, JVCA

Accepted Paper Series