Today, Fishkin Lucks presented “Federal Abstention: Theory and Practice” before a live audience in New York City. The presentation was produced by Lawline.com of FurtherEd Inc. and is available for CLE credit online. Exploring both the themes and practical mechanics of the federal abstention doctrine, the presentation focused on the concept that federal courts may be required to refrain from hearing cases that are otherwise properly brought before them. The seminar explored how while both prudence and federalism occasionally require federal courts to abstain, courts narrowly apply abstention doctrines making their application the exception rather than the rule. In addition to the most well-known doctrines such as Colorado River and Pullman Abstention, we examined the closely related Younger Doctrine, the Anti-Injunction Act, and the Rooker-Feldman Doctrine. Offering a practical approach to an often cumbersome area of federal practice, we placed each of the abstention theories within historical and contemporary contexts so that their applicability to the practitioner is clear.
