Legal Definitions - Colorado River abstention

Definition: Colorado River abstention is a legal principle that allows a federal court to abstain or refrain from hearing a case when there are parallel state-court proceedings underway. This is done to avoid unnecessary conflict with a state's administration of its own affairs.

Example: If a case involving water rights on the Colorado River is being litigated in both federal and state courts, the federal court may choose to abstain from hearing the case until the state court has made a decision. This is because the state has a strong interest in regulating water rights within its borders, and the federal court does not want to interfere with that.

This principle is based on the idea of comity, which is the recognition and respect that courts have for each other's decisions and authority. By abstaining from hearing a case, a federal court is showing respect for the state's authority and allowing it to handle the matter in its own way.