Also known as: comity · comity of nations · international comity
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A principle of mutual deference and respect among sovereign states or between federal and state governments. It encourages one sovereign to refrain from interfering with the proceedings or laws of another when doing so would undermine the other's authority or create unnecessary conflict.
Carlos Castillo faces state criminal charges for organizing a protest at a power plant. He asks a federal district court to enjoin the prosecution on First Amendment grounds. The federal court declines to issue the injunction because the state proceeding is already underway and no bad-faith prosecution or flagrantly invalid statute is shown.
Craig Caldwell challenges a state eviction proceeding in federal court after losing in state housing court. The federal court abstains to allow the state process to conclude without interference.
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Cade Carpenter sues in federal court to block a state land redistribution program. The court defers to the state's implementation of its own eminent domain rules rather than imposing federal overrides.
Claire Campbell obtains a large punitive award in one state against a national company. Another state court refuses to enforce the full amount out of respect for the first state's regulatory interests.
Cecilia Cabrera challenges a city zoning ordinance that restricts extended family living arrangements. The reviewing court respects the local government's authority to define household composition within its borders.
Connor Clark claims citizenship rights based on status granted by one state. A second state court recognizes that status only to the extent required by principles of mutual respect among states.
A federal court must abstain unless extraordinary circumstances exist such as bad-faith prosecution, harassment, or a flagrantly unconstitutional statute with no hope of valid application. This rule protects the state's interest in enforcing its own criminal laws without premature federal interference.
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The court may decline supplemental jurisdiction over remaining state claims once the federal anchor is gone. Considerations of comity and respect for state courts support dismissal so that state issues can be resolved in state forums.
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No. Each licensing state retains independent authority over its licensees regardless of where the conduct occurred. Comity may encourage coordination between states but does not strip any state of its regulatory power.
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The court should abstain when resolution of the state law question by state courts could avoid or substantially narrow the federal constitutional claim. This promotes comity by allowing state courts to interpret their own statutes first.
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…her from pressing in this Court any constitutional objections to the city's zoning ordinance. Considerations of federalism and comity, as well as the finite capacity of federal courts, support this position. In courts, as in hospitals, two bodies cannot occupy the same space at the same time; when any case comes here…