To sue someone in federal court, you have to prove their specific actions caused your injury, rather than the choices of some random third party. Under the causation standard for standing, your harm must be fairly traceable to the person or agency you are suing. If the chain of events is too long or relies on guess-work, the judge will throw the case out.
This rule defeated a lawsuit brought by low-income patients in 1976. In Simon v. Eastern Kentucky Welfare Rights Organization, the patients sued the IRS over a rule that let hospitals keep their tax-exempt status even if they cut back on free medical care. The patients argued this rule caused hospitals to turn them away. The Supreme Court dismissed the suit because the patients couldn''t prove the tax rule was the actual reason the hospitals turned them away, or that changing the rule would force hospitals to treat them.
This limit stops activist groups from using the courts to strike down broad federal rules. It keeps lawsuits focused on direct conflicts between injured people and the parties who actually harmed them.
Traceability prevents litigants from using the courts to target entities that are not the true source of their grievances. It preserves the integrity of the judicial process by focusing trials on direct disputes between injured parties and the responsible actors.
People often think you can sue any agency that regulates an industry if you are harmed by a private business. In practice, you must show the agency's specific rule directly caused the business to harm you.
Traceability prevents litigants from using the courts to target entities that are not the true source of their grievances. It preserves the integrity of the judicial process by focusing trials on direct disputes between injured parties and the responsible actors.
People often think you can sue any agency that regulates an industry if you are harmed by a private business. In practice, you must show the agency's specific rule directly caused the business to harm you.