What is the definition of mootness in federal court?

• A. The issue is no longer live or parties lack ongoing injury
• B. The issue has become moot due to new legislation
• C. The case is still live and capable of redress
• D. The court lacks subject matter jurisdiction

Answer: (A)

Mootness is about whether there is a live controversy that the court can resolve. A case becomes moot when the issue is no longer live or the parties lack an ongoing injury, so the court cannot grant any meaningful relief. This captures why the dispute ends: once the injury or dispute has ceased, there’s nothing for the court to remedy, and continuing the case would be an unnecessary advisory opinion.

That’s why the definition fits best. If the problem prompting the suit is fixed or the plaintiff’s injury ends, the court can’t provide a remedy, and the matter should be dismissed for mootness. The idea isn’t tied to new legislation alone, and mootness isn’t about whether the case could still be redressed in some hypothetical sense. Nor is mootness the same as lacking subject-matter jurisdiction, which is a separate issue about the court’s power to hear the case.