| Abstract: | An important determinant of federal balance is the degree ofstate court authority to decide federal constitutional issues.This study traces the development of the Younger abstentiondoctrine, one of the primary vehicles by which the Burger Courtrestricted federal court jurisdiction and enhanced the authorityof state courts in constitutional adjudication. The Youngerdoctrine was adopted by the Supreme Court in 1971 for reasonsof comity and equitable restraint. Throughout the Burger Courtyears, Younger was expanded from an initial denial of jurisdictionto litigants seeking injunctive relief in state criminal proceedings,to litigants in cases "akin" to criminal proceedings, and thento litigants in cases "important to state interests." By relyingon Younger abstention, the Burger Court has reduced the roleof the federal courts as the primary enforcement of U.S. constitutionalrights. |
