What is remand in the context of removal?

• A. The process of sending a case back to state court when there is no proper basis for removal.
• B. A procedure to transfer a case from state court to federal court.
• C. The authority of appellate courts to review removal decisions.
• D. The requirement that a case be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.

Answer: (A)

Remand is the act of sending a case that was removed from state court to federal court back to the state court because there is no proper basis for keeping it in federal court. In other words, when the federal court determines it lacks the jurisdiction needed to hear the case (or removal was procedurally improper), it remands the case to the state court where it originally came from. This preserves the jurisdictional boundaries between state and federal courts and returns the case to the court that better handles it under state law. The other options describe removing a case to federal court, appellate review of removal decisions, or dismissal for lack of jurisdiction, which are not what remand means.