1、CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i Achieving Balance: Which Cases Belong in Which Courts? Kevin M. Lewis, Coordinator Legislative Attorney Liberty Sacker Research Associate July 25, 2019 Subject to certain limitations, Congress retains the
2、 freedom to regulate the jurisdiction of the federal courts. While Article III, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution sets outer limits to how far the federal courts jurisdiction can extend, Congress need notand often does notauthorize the federal courts to hear the entire universe of cases and controv
3、ersies that Article III might otherwise allow them to adjudicate. The Supreme Courts recent decision in Home Depot v. Jackson illustrates how Congresss decisions regarding how to draft and structure jurisdictional statutes can affect which cases end up in which forumsand, in turn, can implicate sign
4、ificant legal considerations. This Sidebar analyzes Home Depot and its place within the debate over the balance of power between the state and federal courts and Congresss role in delineating the boundaries between the two. Background Congress has attempted to address the balance of power between th