Opinion ID: 502458
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Validity of Cause of Action

Text: 55 In their motion to dismiss, the defendants claimed that the plaintiffs had not stated a claim upon which relief can be granted. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). In her report and recommendation to the district court, the magistrate concluded that the plaintiffs have stated a cause of action. Magistrate's report at 9-12. As noted earlier, the district court recited that it accepts and adopts the Report and Recommendation of the Magistrate, with the clarification noted on the reverse of this order.... Docket entry at 1. The clarification is, as the foregoing discussion demonstrates, a significant shift in the grounds for decision. Indeed, given the district court's disposition of the case, it was not necessary for the court to address squarely the validity of the cause of action. Moreover, we are not willing to presume that the district court would pass sub silentio on an issue upon which the Supreme Court has twice deferred decision and that other lower courts have, as a matter of prudence, refrained from resolving when not absolutely necessary to the decision of the case. See Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley Auth., 297 U.S. 288, 347, 56 S.Ct. 466, 483, 80 L.Ed. 688 (1936) (Brandeis, J., concurring) (courts should only reach constitutional issue when necessary to the decision). 56 Accordingly, we think the question of the sufficiency of the complaint should be addressed in the first instance by the district court. On remand, the district court may determine that it is appropriate to address immediately the sufficiency of the complaint or, given the state of the record, and the above-cited admonition of Justice Brandeis, it may decide to postpone decision on this matter until the contours of the claim of the plaintiffs have been delineated more precisely.