Originally published in the March 2012 edition of the Law Journal Newsletters, ALM Media Properties, LLC.
An oft-recurring task for counsel (both inside and outside) is analyzing whether a new lawsuit filled in state court can properly be removed to federal court, or whether the client (often an out-of-state company) must be left to the tender mercies of the state forum. The passage by Congress of the Federal Courts Jurisdiction and Venue Clarification Act of 2011 (the JVCA or the Act) doesn't open the door to the federal courthouse a great deal wider, as the Class Action Fairness Act did. Nonetheless, the points of law settled by the JVCA may provide defendants with removal opportunities that they didn't have formerly, at least in some circuits. Further, in supplying uniform rules on a number of removal issues, the Act brings a measure of predictability to removal practice, which alone makes the stature significant.
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