federal case

noun

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Definition of federal case

: big deal

don't make a federal case out of it

See federal case defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of federal case from the Web

An accomplice, Carl Marden Williamson, who played an important role in Gignac's scams, was also charged in the federal case.

— jay weaver, miamiherald, "Miami con man posing as Saudi sultan pleads guilty to swindling millions worldwide," 29 May 2018
Sunayana Dumala As part of Monday's plea agreement in the federal case, prosecutors agreed to not seek the death sentence.

— tony rizzo, kansascity, "'Get out of my country,' he said before shooting. He pleads guilty to hate crime | The Kansas City Star," 21 May 2018
He was also sentenced to 60 years for a conviction related to child pornography in a separate federal case.

— christine hauser, New York Times, "Bela and Martha Karolyi, Former Gymnastics Coaches, Deny Knowing About Nassar’s Abuse," 20 Apr. 2018
In a federal case, officials would normally leave those alone.

— peter grier, The Christian Science Monitor, "Behind shock of Cohen raid, signs of a meticulous process," 10 Apr. 2018
Facebook stated in legal filings in a federal case in California challenging Facebook’s use of racial exclusions in ad targeting.

— julia angwin, The Atlantic, "How the Government Could Fix Facebook," 5 Apr. 2018
That helped agents develop a federal case against him.

— guillermo contreras, San Antonio Express-News, "Bail denied for man who claims Sutherland Springs church massacre was a hoax," 29 May 2018
Only one Florida federal case has resulted in the death penalty being meted out since the U.S. government reinstated the punishment 30 years ago.

— jay weaver, miamiherald, "Fort Lauderdale airport shooter pleads guilty after being judged mentally 'competent' | Miami Herald," 23 May 2018
The federal case against the Bandidos leaders has loomed heavily over the Waco prosecution.

— ed lavandera, CNN, "Two biker gang leaders convicted for deadly 2015 shootout," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'federal case.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.