forum shop

or fo·rum-shop

[ fawr-uhm shop ]

verb (used without object)

, Law.

1. to choose a jurisdiction in which to file a lawsuit as a way of trying to increase one's chance of winning the case: Compare judge shop ( def ).

   Litigants are increasingly tempted to forum shop among states to find courts more favorably inclined to their cause.

Word History and Origins

Origin of forum shop¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Why do patent owners forum shop into those Texas federal courts?

From Slate

But defendants forum shop too.

From Slate

Josh Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law, said he sees no ethical problem with Paxton trying to “forum shop.”

From Washington Post

“Answer is it’s a single-division judge. Litigants rationally forum shop.”

From Washington Post

Why aren’t we sitting around this week talking about how is it possible to forum shop and get a judge who quite literally sticks a fork into the single most important not just criminal investigation but national security inquiry in the history of this country.

From Slate