Over-Preemption of State Vacatur Law: State Courts and the FAA

This Article will examine the state courts\u27 approach to FAA preemption on a vacatur motion since the most recent Supreme Court FAA preemption decisions. This Article will demonstrate that, with little or no analysis, state courts over-apply the FAA to commercial arbitration awards, particularly the manifest disregard prong, causing what I call over-preemption and frustrating their own state\u27s interests in the application of its arbitration law. Part II of this Article will briefly review Supreme Court FAA preemption jurisprudence. Part III of this Article will use illustrative state court decisions to demonstrate that the state courts are applying FAA preemption in the vacatur context in an inconsistent manner and thus over-preempt the FAA. Part IV of this Article will show that, even after balancing the competing policy concerns of federalism and judicial uniformity, this over-preemption is not required under the Supreme Court\u27s jurisprudence and that only in very limited circumstances must a state court apply the grounds for vacatur set forth in section 10 of the FAA. Part IV will also demonstrate that state courts need not apply the manifest disregard prong as part of the FAA, even if the FAA were held to apply. Part V will conclude by setting forth a framework for state courts to use when considering what law applies to a motion to vacate that takes into account Supreme Court precedent and policy considerations