Is it permissible to add defendants through supplemental jurisdiction?

Adding defendants through supplemental jurisdiction is permissible under certain conditions, primarily when the new claims are closely related to the original claims. Supplemental jurisdiction allows a court to exercise jurisdiction over additional claims that are not independently subject to federal jurisdiction, provided that these claims arise from a common nucleus of operative fact as the original claims.

This means if a plaintiff has already established a case against one defendant and identifies additional defendants whose actions are connected to the same events and legal issues, those new claims can be added without needing to meet the usual requirements for federal jurisdiction (like diversity of citizenship or federal question).

This principle promotes judicial efficiency by allowing the court to resolve all related issues in one go, avoiding multiple lawsuits that could lead to inconsistent judgments and burden the court system. As long as the claims against the additional defendants are sufficiently related to the original claims, supplemental jurisdiction allows their inclusion.