Pfander's Principles of Federal Jurisdiction, 5th (Concise Hornbook Series)

Designed for students in advanced courses, newly revised, and historically inflected, this book offers an accessible account of the leading principles of federal jurisdiction. It covers such landmarks as the Marbury Court’s 1803 decision upholding judicial review, the CASA Court’s invalidation of universal injunctions in 2025, and most everything in between. Focusing particular attention on the law of government accountability, the book traces the ebbs and flows of sovereign immunity, the rise and apparent fall of the individual’s right to sue federal officers under the Bivens doctrine, and the challenges confronting officer suit litigation under Ex parte Young. The multi-faceted standing doctrine receives extended treatment along with the misunderstood power of federal courts to adjudicate in the absence of party contestation. The book also discusses foundational cases on habeas corpus, abstention, and qualified immunity as well as the rules – to the extent any have emerged – that govern the Court’s interim or shadow docket. Perhaps most importantly, the book provides students with a sense of the argumentative possibilities available to lawyers and jurists working within the federal courts’ tradition.