Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Standing, also known as locus standi, is the ability of a person or group to bring a lawsuit to court. In order to have standing, the person or group must have suffered or will suffer direct harm that can be fixed by the court. This means that they must have a real problem that the court can solve. In federal court, the harm must be related to a constitutional issue and not just because someone is unhappy with a government action or law. The Supreme Court has a three-part test to determine if someone has standing to sue: they must have suffered a real injury, there must be a connection between the injury and the issue brought to court, and the court must be able to fix the injury.
Definition: Standing, also known as locus standi, refers to the legal capacity of a party to bring a lawsuit in court.
In state courts, the laws of each state determine what constitutes standing. Generally, plaintiffs must have suffered or will suffer direct harm or injury, and this harm must be capable of being redressed.
In federal courts, legal actions cannot be brought simply because an individual or group is unhappy with a government action or law. Federal courts only have the constitutional authority to resolve actual disputes, known as a "case or controversy."
The Supreme Court has established a three-part test to determine whether a party has standing to sue in federal court:
An example of standing in state court would be a person who was injured in a car accident bringing a lawsuit against the driver who caused the accident. The plaintiff has suffered direct harm, and the harm can be redressed by the court ordering the driver to pay damages.
An example of standing in federal court would be a group of environmental activists bringing a lawsuit against a company for polluting a river. The plaintiffs must show that they have suffered a concrete and particularized injury, such as being unable to fish in the polluted river, and that the company's actions caused this harm. They must also show that a favorable decision by the court, such as ordering the company to clean up the river, is likely to redress their injury.
Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States (1911) | Star chamber proceedings