Mootness, and a check-in on the M/V CALHOUN

June 11, 2019

600Commerce’s sister blog once described a federal appeal that became moot when, literally, the ship had sailed; a similar principle applies in a dispute about the right of possession (in Texas practice, a forcible detainer action), which becomes moot when “a writ of possession had been served on appellant” and thus “appellant is no longer in possession of [the] premises.” Jones v. Willems, No. 05-18-01191-CV (June 7, 2019). (The ship in question, since reflagged as the M/V CALHOUN, is in Singapore as of the date of this post, still well away from Fifth Circuit jurisdiction).