Supreme Court opinions on civil procedure really only garner attention and excitement from a select group of lawyers and academics, but the opinion in Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District could signal the beginning of a shift in specific jurisdiction that will have far reaching consequences. In this case, Ford sought to inject a proximate cause consideration into the minimum contacts test that determines whether a court has specific jurisdiction over a claim. In an 8-0 decision, Justice Kagan, writing for the Court, soundly rejected Ford’s approach. However, in doing so, Justice Kagan and the concurring opinions from Justices Alito and Gorsuch began to grapple with what specific jurisdiction should look like in the 21st century.
