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Appellate Advocacy Keyed to Meador, 2nd Ed.
Bryant v. Sylvester
Citation:
57 F.3d 308 (1995)Facts
The Family Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County operated a nursery in the Family Court Building that provided an area for court-ordered supervised visitation. In November 1993, Judge Esther Sylvester, the Administrative Judge of the Family Court Division, approved closing the nursery on December 26, 1993, and January 2, 1994. Plaintiff Andre Bryant, a non-custodial parent restricted to supervised visitation in this nursery, and Fathers’ and Children’s Equality, Inc., sought to enjoin the closing through state court proceedings. After the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied their request for a preliminary injunction, Judge Sylvester later authorized closing the nursery on April 3, 1994. The plaintiffs then filed a federal class action lawsuit claiming First and Fourteenth Amendment violations. The defendants moved to dismiss, arguing judicial immunity and the Rooker-Feldman doctrine precluded federal court jurisdiction. When the district court denied their motion, the defendants appealed.
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