Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258 (11th Cir. 2009). · Go Syfert
Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258 (11th Cir. 2009). Cases Citing This Book View Copy Cite
“the rooker-feldman doctrine makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the united states supreme court.”
407 citation events (407 in the last 25 years) across 22 distinct courts.
Strongest positive: Mesadieu v. Waters (flmd, 2025-09-09)
Treatment trajectory · 2009 → 2026 · click a year to view as-of
2009 2017 2026
Top citers, strongest first. 50 distinct citers. How cited ↗
discussed Cited as authority (verbatim quote) Mesadieu v. Waters
M.D. Fla. · 2025 · quote attribution · 1 verbatim quote · confidence high
ederal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts
examined Cited as authority (verbatim quote) Curtis v. Mislevy (2×) also: Cited as authority (rule)
M.D. Fla. · 2023 · quote attribution · 1 verbatim quote · confidence high
we are not a clearinghouse for casale's overstock arguments; if he did not offer them to the state courts - or if the state courts did not buy them - he cannot unload them by attempting to sell them to us.
examined Cited as authority (verbatim quote) Multimedia Technologies, Inc. v. City of Atlanta, Georgia (3×) also: Cited as authority (rule)
N.D. Ga. · 2022 · signal: see also · quote attribution · 1 verbatim quote · confidence high
the rooker-feldman doctrine makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the united states supreme court.
discussed Cited as authority (verbatim quote) Peers v. Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. (2×) also: Cited as authority (rule)
M.D. Fla. · 2020 · signal: see also · quote attribution · 1 verbatim quote · confidence high
we are not a clearinghouse for overstock arguments; if he did not offer them to the state courts-or if the state courts did not buy them-he cannot unload them by attempting to sell them to us.
discussed Cited as authority (verbatim quote) Hill v. Davis (2×) also: Cited as authority (rule)
S.D. Ala. · 2019 · quote attribution · 1 verbatim quote · confidence high
the doctrine applies both to federal claims raised in the state court and to those inextricably intertwined with the state court's judgment.
cited Cited as authority (rule) In re Darrell Finley
S.D. Fla. · 2026 · confidence medium
Ga., 878 F.3d 1001, 1005 (11th Cir. 2017) (quoting Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Klenton T. McLemore, III v. Scott H. McLemore, et al.
M.D. Ala. · 2026 · confidence medium
Rooker-Feldman does not apply however, where a party did not have a reasonable opportunity to raise his federal claim in state proceedings.’”) (quoting Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) James Heyward v. Diana Moreland
11th Cir. · 2026 · confidence medium
To the extent that Heyward thinks the foreclosure judgment against him is void because Moreland was not properly exercising the powers of her office, “the proper response was the same one open to all litigants who are unhappy with the judgment of a trial court: direct appeal.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1261 (11th Cir. 2009).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Neo-Davis v. Marina Garcia-Woods, et al
S.D. Fla. · 2026 · confidence medium
Ga., 878 F.3d 1001, 1005 (11th Cir. 2017) (quoting Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Janieka Harrison v. Alabama Department of Human Resources, et al.
M.D. Ala. · 2026 · confidence medium
“The doctrine applies not only to federal claims actually raised in the state court, but also to claims that were not raised in the state court but are inextricably intertwined with the state court's judgment.” Id. (citing Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Robert Jones v. The Lamar Company, LLC
11th Cir. · 2026 · confidence medium
Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1261 (11th Cir. 2009).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Fermin Aldabe v. Intact Insurance Group USA LLC, Homeland Insurance Company of New York, and Environmental Services, Inc. (2×) also: Cited "see, e.g."
M.D. Fla. · 2026 · confidence medium
Corp., 544 U.S. 280, 284 (2005) (“28 U.S.C. § 1257 precludes a United States district court from exercising subject matter jurisdiction, in an action it would otherwise be empowered to adjudicate under a congressional grant of authority, e.g., § 1330 (suits against foreign states), § 1331 (federal question), and § 1332 (diversity)”); Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009).
examined Cited as authority (rule) New National, LLC v. City of Miami Beach (3×) also: Cited "see"
S.D. Fla. · 2026 · confidence medium
“The Rooker–Feldman doctrine makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (per curiam).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) James L. Murphy v. Miami-Dade County Government Authority, Elite Group Properties LLC, and Miami FL Home Solutions LLC
S.D. Fla. · 2026 · confidence medium
LEGAL STANDARD A. The Rooker-Feldman Doctrine “The Rooker-Feldman doctrine makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009); see also Nicholson v. Shafe, 558 F.3d 1266, 1271 (11th Cir. 2009) (federal district courts have “no authority to review final judgments of a state court”); Doe v. Florida Bar, 630 F.3d 1336, 1340-41 (11th Cir. 2011) (where applicable, Rooker-Feldman deprives feder…
examined Cited as authority (rule) Carlyne Desir and Flint Edwards v. BMO Harris Bank N.A. (3×) also: Cited "see"
M.D. Fla. · 2026 · confidence medium
“The Rooker–Feldman doctrine makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Yolanda Yvette Sanders v. United States Corporation, in its official capacity as the principle executive trustee and agent; Department of Treasury, operating in their official capacity as the nation's principal fiscal agent; United States Department of Justice, operating in their official capacities as principal judicial municipal agent; State of Florida Corporation, operating in the official capacity as a state trustee; and State of Texas Corporation, operating in the official capacity as a state trustee.
M.D. Fla. · 2026 · confidence medium
The Rooker–Feldman doctrine “makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state-court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Alexa Rohlsen v. Florida Department of Children and Families, et al.
M.D. Fla. · 2026 · confidence medium
The doctrine “makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Charles J. Evans v. Pamela J. Helton, Roxann E. Evans/Oliver, Gary J. Cooney
M.D. Fla. · 2025 · confidence medium
Id. (quoting Nicholson v. Shafe, 558 F.3d 1266, 1274 (11th Cir. 2009); citing Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Charles J. Evans v. Pamela J. Helton, Roxann E. Evans/Oliver, Gary J. Cooney
M.D. Fla. · 2025 · confidence medium
Id. (quoting Nicholson v. Shafe, 558 F.3d 1266, 1274 (11th Cir. 2009); citing Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Coker B. Cleveland v. Jessica Kirk Drennan, et al. (2×)
N.D. Ala. · 2025 · confidence medium
The doctrine’s reach “extends not only to federal claims actually raised in state court, but also to federal claims ‘inextricably intertwined’ with the state court’s judgment, meaning those that can ‘succeed[] only to the extent that the state court wrongly decided the issues’ before it.” Lawton v. Rosen, 559 F. App’x 973, 974 (11th Cir. 2014) (per curiam) (quoting Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)). 2023 WL 6131452 , at *3.
cited Cited as authority (rule) LUNSFORD v. CITY OF BOWMAN
M.D. Ga. · 2025 · confidence medium
Id. at 1286 (quoting Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (per curiam)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Gonzalez v. Acacia Lane LLC
S.D. Fla. · 2025 · confidence medium
“The Rooker–Feldman doctrine makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (per curiam).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Mesadieu v. Waters
M.D. Fla. · 2025 · confidence medium
(See Doc. 11) (citing Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (holding that federal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Colon v. Lakeview Loan Servicing, LLC
M.D. Fla. · 2025 · confidence medium
The Rooker–Feldman doctrine “makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state-court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Dean v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Company
S.D. Fla. · 2025 · confidence medium
Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Dean v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Company
S.D. Fla. · 2025 · confidence medium
Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) WEBSTER v. FLORIDA SUPREME COURT
N.D. Fla. · 2025 · confidence medium
In a footnote, the magistrate judge notes that “[a] federal district court ‘cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.’ ” ECF No. 9, Page 4 of 5 n.2 (quoting Casale v. Tillman, 558 F. 3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Revels v. Morgan and Associates, P.C.
M.D. Fla. · 2025 · confidence medium
Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009). “[T]hat task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Id. (citation omitted).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Kitchi Ditlhi Trust By and Through Trustee Robert-Arnaz:Rackard v. Alvaro
M.D. Fla. · 2025 · confidence medium
“A claim is inextricably intertwined if it would ‘effectively nullify’ the state court judgment, or it ‘succeeds only to the extent that the state court wrongly decided the issues.’” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (internal citation omitted) (quoting Powell v. Powell, 80 F.3d 464, 467 (11th Cir. 1996), and Goodman ex rel.
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Golubtsova v. Notarycam, Inc.
S.D. Fla. · 2024 · confidence medium
“The Rooker-Feldman doctrine makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (per curiam).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Hill v. Manning
N.D. Ga. · 2024 · confidence medium
Ultimately, “under the Rooker–Feldman doctrine, the district courts lack subject-matter jurisdiction to review state court final judgments because ‘that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.’” Franklin, 549 F. App’x at 832 (quoting Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) David Efron v. Madeleine Candelario
11th Cir. · 2024 · confidence medium
Marine Expl., Inc. v. Republic of France, 33 F.4th 1312, 1317 (11th Cir. 2022). 4 Here, the district court relied on our decisions in Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009), Powell v. Powell, 80 F.3d 464, 467 (11th Cir. 1996), and Goodman ex rel.
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Shaffer v. Secretary, Department of Corrections-Hillsborough
M.D. Fla. · 2024 · confidence medium
Consequently, the present actions lack merit (1) because Shaffer cannot proceed under Section 2254, (2) because a federal court cannot, under neither a writ of prohibition (24-cv-819) nor a writ of certiorari (24-cv-917), review a state court’s decision, as explained in Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (explaining that a federal district court has no supervisory or appellate jurisdiction over a state court), and (3) because the state has not violated Shaffer’s federally protected right to a speedy trial as was explained in the dismissal of the earlier action, no matt…
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Shaffer v. Secretary, Department of Corrections-Hillsborough
M.D. Fla. · 2024 · confidence medium
Consequently, the present actions lack merit (1) because Shaffer cannot proceed under Section 2254, (2) because a federal court cannot, under neither a writ of prohibition (24-cv-819) nor a writ of certiorari (24-cv-917), review a state court’s decision, as explained in Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (explaining that a federal district court has no supervisory or appellate jurisdiction over a state court), and (3) because the state has not violated Shaffer’s federally protected right to a speedy trial as was explained in the dismissal of the earlier action, no matt…
cited Cited as authority (rule) Hill v. Farmer
N.D. Ga. · 2024 · confidence medium
Id. (first quoting Nicholson v. Shafe, 558 F.3d 1266, 1274 (11th Cir. 2009); and then citing Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
cited Cited as authority (rule) US Bank National Association v. Kelly
M.D. Fla. · 2024 · confidence medium
Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Deaton v. Stephens (2×)
N.D. Ala. · 2023 · confidence medium
The doctrine’s reach “extends not only to federal claims actually raised in state court, but also to federal claims ‘inextricably intertwined’ with the state court’s judgment, meaning those that can ‘succeed[] only to the extent that the state court wrongly decided the issues’ before it.” Lawton v. Rosen, 559 F. App’x 973, 974 (11th Cir. 2014) (per curiam) (quoting Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Smith v. First Horizon National Corporation
N.D. Ga. · 2023 · confidence medium
Bank FSB, 617 F. App’x 928, 930 (11th Cir. 2015) (per curiam) (“Rooker-Feldman applies ‘both to federal claims raised in the state court and to those ‘inextricably intertwined’ with the state court’s judgment.’”) (quoting Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (per curiam)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Johnson v. The Preserves at Stonebriar Homeowner's Association, Inc.
M.D. Fla. · 2023 · confidence medium
“The Rooker-Feldman doctrine makes clear that federal district courts cannot review” and exercise jurisdiction over “state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts, or as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Paul Jackson v. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association
11th Cir. · 2023 · confidence medium
Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009). 2 We need not address this claim because Jackson raises it for the first time on appeal.
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Gibson v. The State of Florida
M.D. Fla. · 2023 · confidence medium
A claim is considered “inextricably intertwined” if it would “effectively nullify the state court judgment, or [if] it ‘succeeds only to the extent that the state court wrongly decided the issues.’” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (per curiam) (citations omitted) (quoting Goodman ex rel.
examined Cited as authority (rule) Bank of America National Association v. Giehl (3×) also: Cited "see"
M.D. Fla. · 2023 · confidence medium
“A claim is inextricably intertwined if it would effectively nullify the state court judgment . . . or it succeeds only to the extent that the state court wrongly decided the issues.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (citations and internal quotations omitted).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Suleman v. Darden Restaurants Inc.
S.D. Fla. · 2023 · confidence medium
“The Rooker–Feldman doctrine makes clear that federal district courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir.2009) (per curiam).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Hill v. Manning
N.D. Ga. · 2022 · confidence medium
Id. (quoting Nicholson v. Shafe, 558 F.3d 1266, 1274 (11th Cir. 2009); citing Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Federal Republic Of Nigeria v. Mockler
S.D. Fla. · 2022 · confidence medium
A claim is inextricably intertwined if it would “effectively nullify” the state court judgment or it “succeeds only to the extent that the state court wrongly decided the issues.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (quoting Goodman, 259 F.3d at 1332 ).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Dixon v. Epiq Corporate Restructuring, LLC
S.D. Fla. · 2022 · confidence medium
A claim is “inextricably intertwined” if the federal court’s decision would have the effect of nullifying the state-court decision, see Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (citing Powell v. Powell, 80 F.3d 464, 467 (11th Cir. 1996)), or if the claim “succeeds only to the extent that the state court wrongly decided the issues,” Goodman ex rel.
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Alexander v. Medley
S.D. Fla. · 2022 · confidence medium
“The Rooker-Feldman doctrine makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court.” Casale v. Tillman, 558 F.3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) (per curiam) (citation omitted).
cited Cited as authority (rule) JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. Hendricks
M.D. Fla. · 2022 · confidence medium
Fla. 2016) (quoting Casale v. Tillman, 558 F. 3d 1258, 1260 (11th Cir. 2009)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) 2408 W Kennedy LLC v. Bank of Central Florida, a Florida Banking Corpora
Bankr. M.D. Fla. · 2022 · confidence medium
No. 17, ¶ 11. 40 558 F.3d 1258, 1261 (11th Cir. 2009). state court’s lack of jurisdiction,” but our circuit has never adopted that exception.41 To be sure, Casale was decided in 2009—nearly a decade before the Eleventh Circuit revisited the Rooker-Feldman doctrine in Target Media.
Retrieving the full opinion text from the archive…
Philip P. CASALE, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
Martha N. TILLMAN, Defendant-Appellee
08-14432.
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Feb 17, 2009.
558 F.3d 1258
David Jeremy Bederman, Atlanta, GA, Everett M. Urech, Urech & Livaudais, P.C., Daleville, AL, for Appellant., Donna C. Crooks, Daleville, AL, for Ap-pellee.
Tjoflat, Dubina, Carnes.
Cited by 185 opinions  |  Published
PER CURIAM:

Philip Casale appeals the dismissal of his complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. In that complaint, Casale asked the district court to enjoin his former wife, Martha Tillman, from domesticating several Georgia state court contempt orders in Alabama state court because those orders violated the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act (“FSPA”), 10 U.S.C. § 1408. Because the district court correctly found that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction under the Rooker-Feldman doctrine, we affirm. [1]

Casale and Tillman were divorced in 1991 by decree of the Superior Court of Chatham County, Georgia. At the time of the divorce, Casale was an active-duty warrant officer with the United States Army. The divorce decree awarded Tillman half of Casale’s military retirement pay and noted that Casale “shall not pursue any course of action that would defeat” Tillman’s right to receive her portion of that pay. It also provided that if Casale took a new job that caused “a merger” of his military retirement pay, he would be directly responsible for paying Tillman the same monthly amount she would have otherwise received from his retirement benefits. The decree did not address how the retirement payments to Tillman would be affected if Casale reentered the military.

Casale eventually retired from active duty and began drawing retirement pay, which he split with Tillman as required by the divorce decree. When Casale returned to active duty in 2002, however, he stopped receiving retirement pay and stopped making the related payments to Tillman. In 2003 Tillman sought and received a Georgia state court order holding Casale in contempt for his failure to make the military retirement and child support payments required by the decree. Between 2003 and 2004 the Georgia state court issued three more contempt orders[*1260] for Casale’s continued failure to pay. Ca-sale does not argue that he is, or ever has been, unable to appeal the contempt orders within the Georgia state court system. [2]

At some point after the judgment that resulted from the contempt orders, Casale moved to Alabama. In late 2007, Tillman attempted to domesticate in Alabama the Georgia judgment. Instead of raising his defenses in Alabama state court, Casale filed a lawsuit in district court seeking to enjoin Tillman from pursuing the Alabama action. Casale argued that the FSPA preempted a state court’s ability to compel members of the military to retire, which he asserted was the effect of the Georgia state court’s decision to hold him in contempt for discontinuing retirement payments to his ex-wife. Given that preemption, he argued, the Georgia court judgment violated federal law.

The district court concluded that it lacked jurisdiction to decide Casale’s case because, among other reasons, the Rook-er-Feldman doctrine barred federal court review of state court final judgments — a function reserved in the federal system for the United States Supreme Court. See D.C. Court of Appeals v. Feldman, 460 U.S. 462, 482, 103 S.Ct. 1303, 1315, 75 L.Ed.2d 206 (1983); Rooker v. Fid. Trust Co., 263 U.S. 413, 415-16, 44 S.Ct. 149, 150, 68 L.Ed. 362 (1923). It noted that Ca-sale’s claim was “inextricably intertwined” with the Georgia judgment because that claim was based on his belief that the state court’s ruling was wrong, and it essentially asked the district court to “review and reverse the Georgia court.”

Citing our decision in Powell v. Powell, 80 F.3d 464 (11th Cir.1996), the district court emphasized that Casale should have raised his preemption arguments during the Georgia proceedings because a state court’s “interpretation of federal law is no less authoritative than that of the [corresponding] federal court of appeals.” Id. at 467 (internal quotation marks omitted). That principle of federalism is well settled. Id.; see also Lockhart v. Fretwell, 506 U.S. 364, 376, 113 S.Ct. 838, 846, 122 L.Ed.2d 180 (1993) (Thomas, J., concurring); Anders v. Hometown Mortgage Servs., Inc., 346 F.3d 1024, 1033 (11th Cir.2003) (“State and federal courts are free to decide federal law issues for themselves (unless and until the United States Supreme Court settles the matter).”).

We review de novo a district court’s finding that it lacks subject matter jurisdiction. Dale v. Moore, 121 F.3d 624, 626 (11th Cir.1997). The Rooker-Feldman doctrine makes clear that federal district courts cannot review state court final judgments because that task is reserved for state appellate courts or, as a last resort, the United States Supreme Court. See Feldman, 460 U.S. at 482, 103 S.Ct. at 1315. The doctrine applies both to federal claims raised in the state court and to those “inextricably intertwined” with the state court’s judgment. Id. at 482 n. 16, 103 S.Ct. at 1315 n. 16. It does not apply, however, where a party did not have a “reasonable opportunity to raise his federal claim in state proceedings.” Powell, 80 F.3d at 467 (internal quotation marks omitted). A claim is inextricably intertwined if it would “effectively nullify” the state court judgment, id. (internal quotation marks omitted), or it “succeeds only to the extent that the state court wrongly decided the issues.” Goodman ex rel. Goodman v. Sipos, 259 F.3d 1327, 1332 (11th Cir.2001).

[*1261] While the Supreme Court’s recent Rooker-Feldman decisions have noted the “narrowness” of the rule, see Lance v. Dennis, 546 U.S. 459, 464, 126 S.Ct. 1198, 1201, 163 L.Ed.2d 1059 (2006), they have also confirmed that it continues to apply with full force to “cases brought by state-court losers complaining of injuries caused by state-court judgments rendered before the district court proceedings commenced and inviting district court review and rejection of those judgments.” Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Saudi Basic Indus. Corp., 544 U.S. 280, 284, 125 S.Ct. 1517, 1521-22, 161 L.Ed.2d 454 (2005). Other circuits have recognized an exception to the doctrine where the state court judgment is “void ab initio due to the state court’s lack of jurisdiction,” see, e.g., 4901 Corp. v. Town of Cicero, 220 F.3d 522, 528 (7th Cir.2000); In re James, 940 F.2d 46, 52 (3d Cir.1991), but our circuit has never adopted that exception. [3]

Casale now contends that Exxon and Lance have narrowed the Rooker-Feldman doctrine to the point where it is inapplicable to his case. He argues that his FSPA claim is not inextricably intertwined with the state court judgment because it challenges only the state court’s jurisdictional authority and not the merits of that decision. Because the FSPA preempts a state court’s ability to “compel or coerce” military personnel to retire, Ca-sale asserts not that the court decided incorrectly — as in the typical Rooker-Feld-man situation — but that the court was wrong to decide at all.

Casale’s arguments fail. We do not agree that the Georgia state court ordered Casale to retire or to forgo his return to active duty. Instead, the state court judgment only required him to get current on the payments identified in the divorce decree. His attempt to characterize an order requiring payment as one directing him to retire from his employment is unpersuasive. Although the divorce decree did not specifically address how Tillman’s payments would be affected if Casale reentered the military, it did address what would happen if Casale became employed again: he would be responsible for making payments to Tillman in the amount she otherwise would have received. Any argument that active-duty pay should be treated differently under the state court decree than pay from civilian jobs — and thus should cut off retirement payments to Tillman during Casale’s new tour of duty— was for the state appellate court to decide in a direct attack by Casale on the validity of the contempt orders.

The state court clearly had jurisdiction over Casale and Tillman’s divorce, including the power to create remedies to enforce the decree. If Casale believed the state court’s result was based on a legal error, the proper response was the same one open to all litigants who are unhappy with the judgment of a trial court: direct appeal. We are not a clearinghouse for Casale’s overstock arguments; if he did not offer them to the state courts — or if the state courts did not buy them — he cannot unload them by attempting to sell them to us. Casale is just the sort of “state-court loser[ ]” the Rooker-Feldman doctrine was designed to turn aside. See Exxon, 544 U.S. at 284, 125 S.Ct. at 1521—22. The district court’s grant of Tillman’s motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction is AFFIRMED.

1

. The district court noted two other reasons it could not consider Casale's complaint: because Casale's claim did not arise under federal law as required by 28 U.S.C. § 1331 and because the Anti-Injunction Act prohibits federal courts from enjoining state court actions unless one of three narrow exceptions, not applicable in his case, applies. Due to our Rooker-Feldman holding, we need not address Casale’s arguments on these issues.

2

. In fact, Tillman claims that Casale actually has appealed — all the way to the Georgia Supreme Court. See Casale v. Tillman, No. 1:07-cv-774-WKW, at 2, 2008 WL 2782740 (M.D.Ala. July 15, 2008).

3

. Because, as we will explain, the state court had jurisdiction to issue its judgment, we have no occasion to decide whether there should be an exception where jurisdiction is lacking.