A lawsuit must be an active dispute when it is filed, and it must stay that way until the final ruling. If the underlying problem resolves itself or disappears while the case is working its way through the courts, the case becomes moot. Under Article III of the Constitution, federal judges no longer have the authority to decide it and must dismiss it.
This rule decided the case of Marco DeFunis in 1974. He sued the University of Washington Law School, claiming its admissions policies discriminated against him, and a trial court ordered the school to admit him while the case was appealed. By the time the lawsuit reached the Supreme Court, DeFunis was in his final semester, and the school promised he would graduate regardless of the ruling. The Court dismissed the case as moot because a decision would no longer have any practical effect on DeFunis''s life.
There are a few exceptions to this rule. Courts won''t dismiss a case if the issue is short-lived but likely to happen again, such as election disputes that end before a trial can finish. They also refuse to dismiss a case if a defendant voluntarily stops their challenged behavior the moment they are sued but remains free to start it up again as soon as the court walks away.
Mootness prevents courts from wasting judicial resources on disputes that have already resolved themselves. It ensures that judicial power is only used to decide real-world conflicts where a court order will make a practical difference.
People often assume that once a lawsuit is filed, the court will decide it no longer matters what changes during the trial. In practice, if the dispute is resolved outside of court, the judge must dismiss the case immediately.
Mootness prevents courts from wasting judicial resources on disputes that have already resolved themselves. It ensures that judicial power is only used to decide real-world conflicts where a court order will make a practical difference.
People often assume that once a lawsuit is filed, the court will decide it no longer matters what changes during the trial. In practice, if the dispute is resolved outside of court, the judge must dismiss the case immediately.