Re Wakim; Ex parte McNally
Key Principle
State Parliaments cannot confer State jurisdiction on federal courts; the cooperative cross-vesting scheme was partially invalid
The Court held that Chapter III of the Constitution exhaustively defines the jurisdiction that federal courts may exercise, and that State Parliaments cannot confer State jurisdiction on federal courts. This invalidated key parts of the national cross-vesting scheme that had been operating cooperatively since 1987. The decision demonstrated the rigid limits of Chapter III and that cooperative federalism cannot supply constitutional power that does not exist.