Pendent Claim Jurisdiction Law and Legal Definition
Pendent claim jurisdiction is the jurisdiction of federal courts over nonfederal claims between parties litigating other matters properly before the court to the full extent permitted by the Constitution. Pendent jurisdiction exists whenever there is a claim arising under the Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority. The requisite relationship exists when the federal and nonfederal claims derive from a common nucleus of operative fact and are such that a plaintiff would ordinarily be expected to try them in one judicial proceeding. [Finley v. United States, 490 U.S. 545, 548-549 (U.S. 1989)]
