West Dakota

English

Etymology

From the analogy with North Dakota and South Dakota.

Proper noun

West Dakota

1. A hypothetical U.S. state that would be west of the Dakotas.
   • 2013, Kevin Saunders, Michael Lawrence, Constitutional Law: Model Problems and Outstanding Answers, →ISBN:

     The Republicrat Party controls the West Dakota State House and Senate, as well as the governorship.

   • 2013, Catherine Ross Dunham, Don C. Peters, Skills & Values: Civil Procedure, →ISBN:

     Wellington is located in the Southern District of West Dakota, and the city where the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Dakota is located is 150 miles away.

   • 2017, Joseph W. Glannon, Andrew M. Perlman, Peter Raven-Hansen, Civil Procedure: A Coursebook, →ISBN:

     He then brings a second action in a West Dakota state court for property damage to his car. Quigley pleads res judicata. Under the Full Faith and Credit Clause and § 1738, the West Dakota court must consider whether Altieri's second action would have been barred by claim preclusion if he had brought it in East Dakota.

Usage notes

This mythical state, along with similar constructions, is often used in textbook sample cases to avoid confusion with an actual existing state.

See also

• East Dakota