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Constitutional Law Keyed to Farber
Alden v. Maine
Citation:
527 U.S. 706, 119 S. Ct. 2240, 144 L. Ed. 2d 636 (1999)Facts
In 1992, petitioners, a group of probation officers, filed suit against their employer, the State of Maine, in federal district court alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime provisions and seeking compensation and liquidated damages. After the Supreme Court’s decision in Seminole Tribe v. Florida clarified that Congress lacks power under Article I to abrogate state sovereign immunity in federal courts, the district court dismissed the action, and the Court of Appeals affirmed. Petitioners then filed the same action in Maine state court, where the trial court dismissed based on sovereign immunity, and the Maine Supreme Judicial Court affirmed, creating a conflict with Arkansas Supreme Court precedent.
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