abstention doctrine

noun

A rule under which a federal court in the United States will decline to exercise jurisdiction over a lawsuit because the suit could or should instead be heard by a state court.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounabstention doctrine (plural abstention doctrines)

plural abstention doctrines

  1. lawA rule under which a federal court in the United States will decline to exercise jurisdiction over a lawsuit because the suit could or should instead be heard by a state court.
Cite this entry
APA

abstention doctrine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abstention%20doctrine

MLA

“abstention doctrine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abstention%20doctrine. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “abstention doctrine,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abstention%20doctrine.

Source: abstention doctrine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.