#27 · 2026-09-02 · Legal term
Federal question jurisdiction
Federal question jurisdiction covers civil actions arising under federal law. Here, the employee’s own federal statutory cause of action supplies that basis; shared state citizenship does not defeat it, and § 1331 imposes no general minimum amount.
Rule to remember
Federal question jurisdiction permits federal district courts to hear civil actions arising under the Constitution, federal statutes, or treaties.
Key elements and checks
- A federal issue must ordinarily appear in the plaintiff's well-pleaded complaint.
- A federal defense alone ordinarily does not suffice.
- Section 1331 has no general amount-in-controversy requirement.
In the source’s words
“arising under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States”
28 USC § 1331
A small subset of state-law claims with substantial embedded federal issues can also qualify.