Law School Case Briefs
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HENDERSON v. UNITED STATES
Supreme Court of United States (1996) | 517 U.S. 654; 116 S.Ct. 1638; 134 L.Ed.2d 880
TL;DR: The Supreme Court held that the 120-day service period in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4 supersedes the conflicting "forthwith" service requirement in the Suits in Admiralty Act, classifying the timing of service as a non-jurisdictional procedural matter.
Legal Significance: Establishes that Federal Rules of Civil Procedure governing case-processing matters, like the timing of service, supersede conflicting federal statutes under the Rules Enabling Act, even in suits against the United States involving sovereign immunity.