opinion: PHILIP MORRIS USA INC. v. WILLIAMS, personal representative of the ESTATE OF WILLIAMS, DECEASED
  No. 07-1216.
  Argued December 3, 2008
  Decided March 31, 2009
  Stephen M. Shapiro argued the cause for petitioner. With him on the briefs were Andrew L. Frey, Andrew H. Schapiro, Lauren R. Goldman, Kenneth S. Geller, Miguel A. Estrada, Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr., David J. Debold, Kenneth S. Geller, William F. Gary, and Sharon A. Rudnick.
  Robert S. Peck argued the cause for respondent. With him on the brief were James S. Coon, Raymond F. Thomas, William A. Gaylord, Charles S. Tauman, Maureen Leonard, and Kathryn H. Clarke
  Briefs of amici curiae urging reversal were filed for Associated Oregon Industries et al. by Thomas W. Brown and Joel S. DeVore; for the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America by Jonathan D. Hacker, Irving L. Gornstein, Robin S. Conrad, and Amar D. Sarwal; for the National Association of Manufacturers by Francis R. Ortiz, Jan S. Amundson, and Quentin Riegel; for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies by Sheila L. Birnbaum, Douglas W. Dunham, and Ellen P. Quackenbos; for the Pacific Legal Foundation by Timothy Sandefur and Deborah J. La Fetra; and for the Washington Legal Foundation et al. by Arvin Maskin, Konrad Cailteux, Daniel J. Popeo, and Paul D. Kamenar.
  Briefs of amici curiae urging affirmance were filed for Federal Procedure Scholars by Erwin Chemerinsky; for Public Justice, P. C., et al. by Elizabeth J. Cabraser and Steven E. Fineman; and for the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association by Meagan A Flynn.
  Briefs of amici curiae were filed for the State of Oregon et al. by Hardy Myers, Attorney General of Oregon, Peter Shepherd, Deputy Attorney General, Mary H. Williams, Solicitor General, and Janet A Metcalf, Assistant Attorney General, and by the Attorneys General for their respective States as follows: Joseph R. Biden III of Delaware, Douglas F. Gansler of Maryland, Jim Hood of Mississippi, Gary King of New Mexico, Henry D. McMaster of South Carolina, Robert E. Cooper, Jr., of Tennessee, and Bruce A. Salzburg of Wyoming; for the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation by Kent S. Scheidegger; and for Retired Oregon Supreme Court Justice Susan M. Leeson et al. by Scott A. Shorr and Robert K. Udziela.
  Per Curiam.
  The writ of certiorari is dismissed as improvidently granted.
  It is so ordered.
choices: comity: civil rights comity: criminal procedure comity: First Amendment comity: habeas corpus comity: military comity: obscenity comity: privacy comity: miscellaneous comity primarily removal cases, civil procedure (cf. comity, criminal and First Amendment); deference to foreign judicial tribunals assessment of costs or damages: as part of a court order Federal Rules of Civil Procedure including Supreme Court Rules, application of the Federal Rules of Evidence, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure in civil litigation, Circuit Court Rules, and state rules and admiralty rules judicial review of administrative agency's or administrative official's actions and procedures mootness (cf. standing to sue: live dispute) venue no merits: writ improvidently granted no merits: dismissed or affirmed for want of a substantial or properly presented federal question, or a nonsuit no merits: dismissed or affirmed for want of jurisdiction (cf. judicial administration: Supreme Court jurisdiction or authority on appeal from federal district courts or courts of appeals) no merits: adequate non-federal grounds for decision no merits: remand to determine basis of state or federal court decision (cf. judicial administration: state law) no merits: miscellaneous standing to sue: adversary parties standing to sue: direct injury standing to sue: legal injury standing to sue: personal injury standing to sue: justiciable question standing to sue: live dispute standing to sue: parens patriae standing standing to sue: statutory standing standing to sue: private or implied cause of action standing to sue: taxpayer's suit standing to sue: miscellaneous judicial administration: jurisdiction or authority of federal district courts or territorial courts judicial administration: jurisdiction or authority of federal courts of appeals judicial administration: Supreme Court jurisdiction or authority on appeal or writ of error, from federal district courts or courts of appeals (cf. 753) judicial administration: Supreme Court jurisdiction or authority on appeal or writ of error, from highest state court judicial administration: jurisdiction or authority of the Court of Claims judicial administration: Supreme Court's original jurisdiction judicial administration: review of non-final order judicial administration: change in state law (cf. no merits: remand to determine basis of state court decision) judicial administration: federal question (cf. no merits: dismissed for want of a substantial or properly presented federal question) judicial administration: ancillary or pendent jurisdiction judicial administration: extraordinary relief (e.g., mandamus, injunction) judicial administration: certification (cf. objection to reason for denial of certiorari or appeal) judicial administration: resolution of circuit conflict, or conflict between or among other courts judicial administration: objection to reason for denial of certiorari or appeal judicial administration: collateral estoppel or res judicata judicial administration: interpleader judicial administration: untimely filing judicial administration: Act of State doctrine judicial administration: miscellaneous Supreme Court's certiorari, writ of error, or appeals jurisdiction miscellaneous judicial power, especially diversity jurisdiction