Editing Mootness (section)

==U.S. state courts==
The [[U.S. state]] courts are not subject to the Article III limitations on their jurisdiction, and some state courts are permitted by their local constitutions and laws to render opinions in moot cases where the establishment of a legal precedent is desirable.  They may also establish exceptions to the doctrine.<ref>[http://hawaiiopinions.blogspot.com/2008/10/prejudice-pushes-aside-mootness.html Prejudice Pushes Aside Mootness Doctrine Hamilton v. Lethem] (HSC October 14, 2008).</ref> For instance, in some state courts{{which|date=August 2019}} the prosecution can lodge an appeal after a defendant is acquitted: although the appellate court cannot set aside a not-guilty verdict due to [[double jeopardy]], it can issue a ruling as to whether a trial court's ruling on a particular issue during the trial was erroneous. This opinion will then be binding on future cases heard by the courts of that state.

Some U.S. states also accept [[certified question]]s from the federal courts or the courts of other states. Under these procedures, state courts can issue opinions, usually for the purpose of clarifying or updating state law, in cases not actually pending in those courts.<ref>See, e.g., Indiana Rules of Appellate Procedure, Title XI, Rule 64, "Certified Questions of State Law From Federal Courts".</ref>