Anti-Injunction Act
Encyclopedia
The Anti-Injunction Act, , is a United States federal statute that prohibits any federal court
from issuing an injunction
against proceedings in any state court, except within three specifically defined exceptions. The Act was enacted on March 2, 1793 as Section 5 of the Judiciary Act of 1793
, to alleviate states' fears of federal power.
The current language of the Act states:
A body of case law
has grown with respect to the questions of what constitutes an express authorization; what is necessary in aid of jurisdiction
; and what constitutes protection or effectuation of a judgment. Cases have also hinged on questions of what orders constitute an injunction by the federal court against the state court.
Among the statutes recognized as express authorization to grant an injunction under the first exception is Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act
. The second exception is used in two areas: to prevent state courts from continuing to hear matters which have been removed to federal court, as well as to permit federal courts to enjoin state suits in cases of real property dispute where a federal claim is filed first. It is relatively rare in application. The third exception is used to prevent parties who have lost in federal litigation from seeking hearing of their cases in state court.
The Supreme Court case Younger v. Harris
, while addressing questions distinct from the Anti-Injunction Act, is relevant to the subject of federal injunctions against state court proceedings, insofar as it (and its progeny) enunciates additional doctrines relating to federal courts' injunctive power.
United States federal courts
The United States federal courts make up the judiciary branch of federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.-Categories:...
from issuing an injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
against proceedings in any state court, except within three specifically defined exceptions. The Act was enacted on March 2, 1793 as Section 5 of the Judiciary Act of 1793
Judiciary Act of 1793
The Judiciary Act of 1793 is a United States federal statute, enacted on March 2, 1793. This act of the Second Congress established a number of regulations related to court procedures....
, to alleviate states' fears of federal power.
The current language of the Act states:
- A court of the United States may not grant an injunction to stay proceedings in a state court except as expressly authorized by Act of Congress, or where necessary in aid of its jurisdiction, or to protect or effectuate its judgments.
A body of case law
Case law
In law, case law is the set of reported judicial decisions of selected appellate courts and other courts of first instance which make new interpretations of the law and, therefore, can be cited as precedents in a process known as stare decisis...
has grown with respect to the questions of what constitutes an express authorization; what is necessary in aid of jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
; and what constitutes protection or effectuation of a judgment. Cases have also hinged on questions of what orders constitute an injunction by the federal court against the state court.
Among the statutes recognized as express authorization to grant an injunction under the first exception is Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act
Civil Rights Act of 1871
The Civil Rights Act of 1871, , enacted April 20, 1871, is a federal law in force in the United States. The Act was originally enacted a few years after the American Civil War, along with the 1870 Force Act. One of the chief reasons for its passage was to protect southern blacks from the Ku Klux...
. The second exception is used in two areas: to prevent state courts from continuing to hear matters which have been removed to federal court, as well as to permit federal courts to enjoin state suits in cases of real property dispute where a federal claim is filed first. It is relatively rare in application. The third exception is used to prevent parties who have lost in federal litigation from seeking hearing of their cases in state court.
The Supreme Court case Younger v. Harris
Younger v. Harris
Younger v. Harris, 401 U.S. 37 , was a case in which the United States Supreme Court held that United States federal courts were required to abstain from hearing any civil rights tort claims brought by a person who is currently being prosecuted for a matter arising from that claim.-Facts:A...
, while addressing questions distinct from the Anti-Injunction Act, is relevant to the subject of federal injunctions against state court proceedings, insofar as it (and its progeny) enunciates additional doctrines relating to federal courts' injunctive power.