Opinion ID: 864743
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Federal Court Action Upon Removal.

Text: ¶11. Subsequent to removal to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Judge Barbour, en route to remanding the case to state court because all defendants did not join in the notice of removal, found that the Friths’ “cause of action for design defect of the cigarette lighter necessarily `arises under’ federal law and presents a federal question;” however, Judge Barbour likewise found that inasmuch as he was constrained to remand the case, the state court would be “perfectly capable of deciding 1 We also find pertinent the following provisions of 58 Fed. Reg. 37554, at 37578: The child-resistant lighter test results clearly support the feasibility of an acceptance criteria of 85 percent. The data do not support the feasibility of an acceptance criteria of 100 percent. A lighter that no child under 5 could operate would be very difficult for adults to operate as well. In order for child-resistant lighters to address the risk of injury most effectively, adults must be willing to use them. If adults are unable to use child-resistant lighters, they may switch to available non-child resistant lighters. 6 the federal questions presented in this case.” We also find the following provisions of Judge Barbour’s order to be enlightening: When determining whether a cause of action has been preempted by federal law, “the purpose of Congress is the ultimate touchstone.” Cipolone v. Liggett Group, 505 U.S. 504, 516, 112 S.Ct. 2608, 2619, 120 L.Ed.2d 407 (1992) (quoting Retail Clerks v. Schermerhorn, 375 U.S. 96, 103, 84 S.Ct. 219, 222, 11 L.Ed.2d 179 (1963)). The intent of Congress may be “explicitly stated in the statute’s language or implicitly contained in its structure and purpose.” Cipolone, 505 U.S. at 516 (citing Jones v. Rath Packing Co., 430 U.S. 519, 525, 97 S.Ct. 1305, 1309, 51 L.Ed.2d 604 (1977)). In the absence of an express congressional command, state law is preempted if that law actually conflicts with federal law, see Pacific Gas & Elec. Co. v. State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Comm’n., 461 U.S. 190, 204, 103 S.Ct. 1713, 1722, 75 L.Ed.2d 752 (1983), or if federal law so thoroughly occupies a legislative field “as to make reasonable the inference that Congress left no room for the States to supplement it.” Cipolone, 505 U.S. at 516 (quoting Rice v. Santa Fe Elevator Corp., 331 U.S. 218, 230, 67 S.Ct. 1146, 1152, 91 L.Ed. 1447 (1947)).