diversity of the parties

…unless . . . approved by act of Congress.” It was enacted principally to insure that state rules of privilege would apply in diversity jurisdiction cases unless Congress authorized otherwise. In Rule 501 Congress makes clear that §2076 was not intended to prevent the federal courts from developing testimonial privilege law in federal…

…United States," the court concluded that this case fell within what has become known as the "domestic relations" exception to diversity jurisdiction, and that it lacked jurisdiction over the case. The court also invoked the abstention principles announced in Younger v. Harris , 401 U. S. 37 (1971), to justify its decision to dismiss…

…case for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, holding that Ankenbrandt’s suit fell within “the ‘domestic relations’ exception to diversity jurisdiction.” 504 U. S., at 692. The Court of Appeals agreed and affirmed. Ibid. We reversed the Court of Appeals’ judgment. Id. , at 706-707. Holding that the District Court improperly refrained…

…them for negligently inflicted injury. We disagree. We read South v. Maryland, supra , an action brought under federal diversity jurisdiction on a Maryland sheriff’s bond, as stating no more than what this Court thought to be the principles of common law and Maryland law applicable to that case; it is not cast at all in terms of…