Federal question jurisdiction exists when the plaintiff's complaint raises a federal question in which sense?

• A. It is alleged in the defendant's answer.
• B. It is raised in the plaintiff's well-pleaded complaint.
• C. It is determined by the forum state's law.
• D. It requires the consent of all parties to federal jurisdiction.

Answer: (B)

The main concept here is the well-pleaded complaint rule. Federal question jurisdiction exists whenever the plaintiff’s complaint presents a federal issue on its face—that is, the claim itself raises a question of federal law that must be decided to resolve the case. The key is that the federal question must be included in the plaintiff’s own pleadings, not discovered only in the defendant’s answer or later defenses.

This is why the correct answer is that the federal question must be raised in the plaintiff’s well-pleaded complaint. It’s not about what the defendant might allege later, nor about forum-state law or party consent. If the complaint itself shows a federal question, the case falls under federal jurisdiction; if it does not, jurisdiction isn’t based on that question, even if a federal issue could be argued in subsequent pleadings.