Wielding the Sledgehammer: Legislative Solutions for Class Action Jurisdictional Reform

In this Note, Thomas Woods examines recent congressional proposals that would allow virtually all class actions to be filed in or removed to federal court. Woods begins by analyzing the problems of forum shopping and overlapping classes in current practice. Woods then argues that while the congressional proposals would alleviate these problems, the proposals would exacerbate federalism and docket congestion concerns. Woods concludes with a proposal for expanding the exceptions to federal jurisdiction proposed by Congress.