kline burke const argued decided november wm arnold quinn texarkana petitioners james mcdonough fort smith respondent justice sutherland delivered opinion burke construction company corporation orgainized laws state missouri brought action law petitioners district western district arkansas february jurisdiction invoked upon ground diversity citizenship petitioners citizens state arkansas action breach contract parties whereby construction company engaged pave certain streets town texarkana trial jury resulted disagreement subsequent commencement action construction company march petitioners instituted suit equity company state chancery state arkansas upon contract joining defendants sureties bond given faithful performance contract bill latter suit alleged construction company abandoned contract judgment sought sureties well company bill asked accounting reference work done remained done contract prayed judgment sum action brought construction company petitioners filed answer setting substance matters set forth bill state equity suit construction company filed answer setting matters charged complaint action law thus two cases presented substantially issues differences resulting addition sureties parties defendant equity suit actions personam ultimate relief sought case money judgment equity suit removed district upon petition construction company upon ground company petitioners citizens different controversy separable controversy upon ground federal question involved petitioners moved remand district sustained motion equity suit thereupon remanded state chancery still pending mistrial action law district construction company filed bill complaint dependent bill action law sought enjoin petitioners prosecuting suit equity state chancery district denied injunction appeal taken circuit appeals eighth circuit reversed decision district remanded case instructions issue injunction prosecution suit equity state chancery decree case comes upon writ certiorari section judicial code comp provides writ injunction shall granted stay proceedings state except cases injunction may authorized law relating proceedings bankruptcy section construed connection section comp authorizes courts issue writs specifically provided statute may necessary exercise respective jurisdictions agreeable usages principles law see julian central trust sup lanning osborne fed settled federal first acquired jurisdiction cause may enjoin parties proceeding state concurrent jurisdiction effect action defeat impair jurisdiction federal action rem effect draw federal possession control actual potential res exercise state jurisdiction res necessarily impairs may defeat jurisdiction federal already attached converse rule equally true jurisdiction state first attached federal precluded exercising jurisdiction res defeat impair state jurisdiction covell heyman sup ed said forbearance courts jurisdiction administered single system exercise towards whereby conflicts avoided avoiding interference process principle comity perhaps higher sanction utility comes concord state courts something principle right law therefore necessity leaves nothing discretion mere convenience courts belong system far jurisdiction concurrent although coexist space independent common superior exercise jurisdiction true within territory plane one takes jurisdiction specific thing res much withdrawn judicial power carried physically different territorial sovereignty attempt seize foreign process futile void regulation process decision questions relating part jurisdiction issues rule applies person custody authority another jurisdiction ponzi fessenden sup decided march controversy thing controversy mere question personal liability involve possession control thing action brought enforce liability tend impair defeat jurisdiction prior action cause pending free proceed way time without reference proceedings whenever judgment rendered one courts pleaded effect judgment determined application principles res adjudicata action still pending orderly exercise jurisdiction determine question fact law arising progress case rule therefore become generally established action first brought personam seeks personal judgment another action cause another jurisdiction precluded stanton embrey gordon gilfoil hunt new york cotton exchange sup insurance brune assignee merritt american steel barge fed ball tompkins fed holmes county burton construction fed standley roberts fed green underwood fed ogden city weaver fed zimmerman relle fed baltimore ohio wabash railroad fed guardian trust kansas city southern railway fed guardian trust kansas city southern railway fed woren witherbee sherman fed stewart land arthur fed baltimore ohio railroad wabash railroad supra circuit appeals seventh circuit said settled state may take jurisdiction matter tribunal whose jurisdiction first attaches holds exclusion duty fully performed jurisdiction involved exhausted rule one comity prevent unseemly conflicts courts whose jurisdiction embraces subject persons state courts something principle right law therefore necessity leaves nothing discretion mere convenience covell heyman sup rule limited cases property actually seized judicial process second suit instituted another applies well suits brought enforce liens specific property marshal assets administer trusts liquidate insolvent estates suits like nature farmers loan trust lake street el supra merritt steel barge fed app rule limited actions deal either actually potentially specific property objects suit strictly personam nothing personal judgment sought objection subsequent action another jurisdiction either judgment although issues tried determined neither ousts jurisdiction first suit brought delay obstruct exercise jurisdiction lead conflict authority acts accordance law stanton embrey stewart land arthur supra plaintiff sued defendant upon two checks promissory note district subsequently brought action upon instruments state injunction sought latter action circuit appeals eighth circuit disposed matter follows iowa case custody property might lawfully protected injunctive process purely personam pendency two actions parties upon causes action different jurisdictions gives first brought power enjoin prosecution others may take normal course prior decision instant case examination foregoing authorities others might added show rule firmly established pendency federal action personam neither ground abating subsequent action state issuance injunction prosecution case consideration however held otherwise upon ground constitution article iii section acts congress comp stat section constitutional right granted burke company ask trial adjudication federal said second suit may prosecuted secure adjudication state action federal adjudicated federal adjudication made futile rendered controversy become res adjudicata adjudication state result urged allowed construction company brought action federal pursuance grant right constitution acts congress may deprived constitutional right subsequent suit state force cases cited sought broken suggestion none question constitutional right presented considered right litigant maintain action federal ground controversy citizens different one derived constitution unless indirect sense certainly right granted constitution applicable provisions far necessary quoted contained article iii section article provides judicial power shall vested one inferior courts congress may time time ordain establish section article provided judicial power shall extend certain designated cases controversies among controversies citizens different effect provisions vest jurisdiction inferior courts designated cases controversies delimit respect congress may confer jurisdiction upon courts creates jurisdiction derived directly constitution every created general government derives jurisdiction wholly authority congress body may give withhold restrict jurisdiction discretion provided extended beyond boundaries fixed constitution turner bank north america dall hudson goodwin cranch sheldon sill stevenson fain constitution simply gives inferior courts capacity take jurisdiction enumerated cases requires act congress confer mayor cooper wall jurisdiction conferred may congress taken away whole part withdrawn without saving clause pending cases though cognizable commenced must fall assessors osbornes wall right thus comes existence virtue act congress may withdrawn act congress exercise begun well described constitutional right construction company however undoubted right statute invoke jurisdiction federal bound take case proceed judgment abdicate authority duty favor state jurisdiction chicot county sherwood sup mcclellan carland sup true likewise true state jurisdiction suit instituted petitioners indeed since case presented suit preclude removal federal jurisdiction state jurisdiction particular suit exclusive therefore equally duty state take case proceed judgment question judicial supremacy superiority individual right rule referred action one rem state first acquires jurisdiction draws exclusive authority control dispose res involves conclusion rights litigants invoke jurisdiction respective courts equal rank see heidritter elizabeth oil cloth sup rank authority courts equal courts possess control thing time attempt result unseemly conflict rule therefore first acquiring jurisdiction shall proceed without interference jurisdiction rule right law based upon necessity necessity actual potential exist rule apply since necessity exist actions rem exist actions personam involving question personal liability rule applies former apply latter decree circuit appeals therefore reversed case remanded district proceedings conformity opinion footnotes sup