Court Opinion

ID: 9464002
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 23:22:41.686989+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:38:24.566478
License: Public Domain

MacKINNON, Circuit Judge,
concurring specially:
I concur in the result expressed by the opinion of Judge Tamm, generally for the reasons he expresses. There is a serious question whether the monetary value of the rights allegedly violated here meet the $10,-000 jurisdictional amount but I leave this to the further determination of the trial court. The jurisdictional statute has also been amended recently to remove the $10,000 requirement in certain specified instances:
The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of all civil actions wherein the matter in controversy exceeds the sum or value of $10,000, exclusive of interest and costs, and arises under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States except that no such sum or value shall be required in any such action brought against the United States, any agency thereof, or any officer or employee thereof in his official capacity.
28 U.S.C. § 1331(a), as amended by Pub.L. 94-574, Oct. 21, 1976 (90 Stat. 2721). On remand the trial court should consider the *830additional issues raised by this amendment of the statute in the light of our opinion in Marshall v. District of Columbia, 182 U.S. App.D.C. -, at -, 559 F.2d 726, at 730 (Nos. 75-1651, etc).
To my mind, the most serious shortcoming of appellant’s complaint seems to be the doubt it presents as to to whether the claim against the government is insubstantial and raised solely for the purpose of conferring jurisdiction. I have grave doubts that appellant’s allegations against the officer are sufficient to convert an ordinary tort into constitutional violations cognizable under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
While the existence of necessary governmental involvement could be resolved at the summary judgment stage, as Judge Tamm’s concurrence proposes, it is appropriate, in certain cases, to find such a lack of governmental connection as to deny 28 U.S.C. § 1343 jurisdiction on a pre-summary judgment motion. Paul v. Davis, 424 U.S. 693, 96 S.Ct. 1155, 47 L.Ed.2d 405 (1976), upheld a dismissal before summary judgment where insufficient governmental action was alleged. In that case, the complained-of defamation was particularly harmful precisely because it was uttered by a police chief; such additional connection between the government and the tort is lacking here. Though I concur in the remand resulting in this case,-1 would not agree with any inference that jurisdictional challenges based on insufficient governmental action cannot succeed against 28 U.S.C. § 1343 cases.