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Rule 4(K), Nationwide Personal Jurisdiction, and the Civil Rules Advisory Committee: Lessons from Attempted Reform
73 Alabama Law Review 607-620 (2022)
  • A. Benjamin Spencer, William & Mary Law School
Abstract

On multiple occasions, I have advocated for a revision to Rule 4(k) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure that would disconnect personal jurisdiction in federal courts from the jurisdictional limits of their respective host states—to no avail. In this Essay, I will review—one final time—my argument for nationwide personal jurisdiction in the federal courts, recount my (failed) attempt to persuade the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules to embrace my view, and reflect on what lessons may be drawn from the experience regarding the civil rulemaking process. My aim is to prompt discussion around potential rulemaking reforms and to equip future would-be reformers with insights that might facilitate some degree of success.

Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2022
Comments

Written for the Symposium Ten Years of the Supreme Court’s Personal Jurisdiction Revival (2021) at Alabama Law School.

Citation Information
A. Benjamin Spencer. "Rule 4(K), Nationwide Personal Jurisdiction, and the Civil Rules Advisory Committee: Lessons from Attempted Reform" 73 Alabama Law Review 607-620 (2022) (2022)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/a-benjamin-spencer/66/