Federal common law
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Federal common law authority
Judge-made federal law. After 1938 there is no general federal common law, but courts still make it in a few narrow, specifically federal areas.
Technical: Judicially fashioned rules of decision on matters of federal concern. Erie R.R. Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64 (1938), abolished general federal common law in diversity cases, but surviving 'enclaves' remain — e.g., interstate disputes, admiralty, foreign relations, and the rights/obligations of the United States.
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