Legal Definitions - Full Faith and Credit Act

The Full Faith and Credit Act is a federal law in the United States that requires federal courts to recognize and uphold the final judgments made by state courts. Essentially, if a state court has already made a definitive decision in a case, a federal court must treat that decision as final and binding, just as the original state court would have. This prevents parties from attempting to re-litigate the same issues or claims in a federal court after a state court has already issued a conclusive ruling.

Here are some examples to illustrate how the Full Faith and Credit Act applies:

• Example 1: Divorce and Child Custody

  Imagine a couple divorces in a California state court, and the court issues a final decree that includes specific orders for child custody and spousal support. If one spouse later moves to Arizona and attempts to challenge the spousal support order in a federal court located in Arizona, the Full Faith and Credit Act would apply. The federal court in Arizona would be required to recognize the California state court's divorce decree as final and binding. It cannot re-evaluate the spousal support order or allow the spouse to argue for a different outcome, as the California court's decision is considered conclusive.

• Example 2: Business Contract Dispute

  Consider a scenario where a software company in Massachusetts sues a client in a Massachusetts state court for breach of a service contract. The state court hears the evidence and ultimately rules in favor of the software company, awarding a specific amount in damages. If the client, dissatisfied with this outcome, then tries to file a new lawsuit in a federal court in Massachusetts, attempting to re-argue the same contract dispute, the Full Faith and Credit Act would prevent this. The federal court would be obligated to respect the Massachusetts state court's final judgment and would not allow the client to re-litigate the issues already decided.

• Example 3: Property Ownership Determination

  Suppose two neighbors in Oregon have a long-standing dispute over the exact boundary line between their properties. They take the matter to an Oregon state court, which conducts a trial and issues a final judgment clearly defining the property boundary. If one neighbor, unhappy with the state court's decision, then tries to bring a new case in a federal court in Oregon, asking the federal court to draw a different property line, the Full Faith and Credit Act would come into play. The federal court would be required to accept the Oregon state court's judgment as final and binding, preventing any attempt to revisit or alter the already determined property boundary.