( January 21, 2026, 10:05 AM EST) -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition for writ of certiorari filed by a former Michigan State University (MSU) researcher asking what constitutes commencement of a civil action under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 3 for the purpose of timeliness and whether dismissal of his complaint for failure to plead his case conflicts with Rule 8 and the high court’s decision in Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N.A....