What is the "Cases or Controversies" Requirement for Federal Courts

Article III of the U.S. Constitution establishes a fundamental limit on the power of federal courts: they can only hear actual "cases or controversies." This crucial requirement prevents federal courts from issuing advisory opinions or overstepping their role by engaging in policymaking – responsibilities that belong to the legislative and executive branches. This principle was recently reaffirmed in Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, 602 U.S. 367 (2024).

So, what exactly constitutes a "case or controversy"? It boils down to ensuring that federal courts resolve real disputes between actual parties, rather than dealing with abstract legal questions.

A key element of this requirement is "standing." To bring a case, a plaintiff must demonstrate:

• Injury: They've suffered a concrete and particularized harm.
• Causation: This injury is directly traceable to the actions they're challenging.
• Redressability: A favorable court decision is likely to remedy their injury.

These elements of standing, established in cases like Hollingsworth v. Perry, 570 U.S. 693 (2013), and further clarified in Moore v. Harper, 600 U.S. 1 (2023), guarantee that those involved in a lawsuit have a genuine stake in the outcome.

The "cases or controversies" requirement also prevents federal courts from addressing generalized grievances or abstract legal questions that don't involve the specific rights or interests of the parties before them. As the Supreme Court emphasized in Warth v. Seldin, 422 U.S. 490 (1975), courts are limited to resolving disputes traditionally understood as suitable for judicial resolution. This idea was reinforced in Hollingsworth v. Perry.

The types of cases federal courts can hear are further defined by statute, including those arising under the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties. Other areas of federal jurisdiction include disputes involving ambassadors, public ministers, consuls, admiralty and maritime law, and certain interstate and international conflicts (U.S.C.A. Const. Art. III § 2, cl. 1). This framework reinforces the "cases or controversies" limitation by specifying the boundaries of federal judicial power.