Abstract:
One of the first topics that law students learn in their federal civil procedure course is “in personam jurisdiction” or “personal jurisdiction”––i.e., the basis for which courts may render a judgment against a person. This topic is rightfully at the forefront of legal curricula. Practically speaking, it is imperative that law students appreciate this limitation placed on the authority of the court, which is rooted in the Due Process Clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. Essentially, the authority of a court to render judgment against a person boils down to that person’s expectations of litigating in that court.
