The shelves are open.
The law is yours.

Adickes v. S.h. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144 (1970)

Private-state conspiracy satisfies color of law.

Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents, 403 U.S. 388 (1971)

Implied damages remedy against federal officers (now narrow).

Board of County Commissioners v. Brown, 520 U.S. 397 (1997)

Single hiring decision rarely shows municipal deliberate indifference.

Carey v. Piphus, 435 U.S. 247 (1978)

§ 1983 compensatory damages require actual injury.

City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378 (1989)

Failure-to-train liability requires deliberate indifference.

City of Newport v. Fact Concerts, Inc., 453 U.S. 247 (1981)

No punitive damages against municipalities under § 1983.

City of St. Louis v. Praprotnik, 485 U.S. 112 (1988)

State law identifies final policymaking authority.

Connick v. Thompson, 563 U.S. 51 (2011)

Single Brady violation insufficient for failure-to-train liability.

Dennis v. Sparks, 449 U.S. 24 (1980)

Private parties conspiring with a judge act under color of law.

Egbert v. Boule, 596 U.S. 482 (2022)

Bivens all but closed to new contexts.

Filarsky v. Delia, 566 U.S. 377 (2012)

Private individual retained by government may claim immunity.

Hafer v. Melo, 502 U.S. 21 (1991)

State officials may be sued in their individual capacities under § 1983.

Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477 (1994)

§ 1983 damages claim implying invalidity of conviction requires prior invalidation.

Kentucky v. Graham, 473 U.S. 159 (1985)

Official- vs. individual-capacity suit distinction.

Lugar v. Edmondson Oil Co., 457 U.S. 922 (1982)

Joint participation with state officials makes private party a state actor.

Maine v. Thiboutot, 448 U.S. 1 (1980)

§ 1983 reaches statutory as well as constitutional violations.

Manuel v. City of Joliet, 580 U.S. 357 (2017)

Pretrial detention without probable cause violates the Fourth Amendment.

Mcdonough v. Smith, 588 U.S. 109 (2019)

Fabricated-evidence claim accrues at favorable termination.

Memphis Community School District v. Stachura, 477 U.S. 299 (1986)

No damages for the abstract value of rights.

Monell v. Department of Social Services, 436 U.S. 658 (1978)

Municipal liability under § 1983 requires policy or custom.

Monroe v. Pape, 365 U.S. 167 (1961)

Color of law includes misuse of state authority.

Owen v. City of Independence, 445 U.S. 622 (1980)

Municipalities enjoy no qualified immunity from § 1983 damages.

Pembaur v. City of Cincinnati, 475 U.S. 469 (1986)

Single decision by final policymaker can create municipal liability.

Preiser v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 475 (1973)

Habeas, not § 1983, is the vehicle to attack confinement itself.

Smith v. Wade, 461 U.S. 30 (1983)

Punitive damages for reckless or callous indifference.

Wallace v. Kato, 549 U.S. 384 (2007)

False-arrest claim accrues at legal process, not release.

West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42 (1988)

Contract physician for prison acts under color of law.

Will v. Michigan Department of State Police, 491 U.S. 58 (1989)

States and state officials in official capacity are not § 1983 'persons.'

Wilson v. Garcia, 471 U.S. 261 (1985)

§ 1983 borrows the state personal-injury limitations period.

Wyatt v. Cole, 504 U.S. 158 (1992)

Private § 1983 defendants get no qualified immunity.

Ziglar v. Abbasi, 582 U.S. 120 (2017)

Bivens expansion disfavored; special-factors analysis.

Briscoe v. Lahue, 460 U.S. 325 (1983)

Absolute witness immunity for trial testimony.

Buckley v. Fitzsimmons, 509 U.S. 259 (1993)

Prosecutor's investigative acts get only qualified immunity.

Burns v. Reed, 500 U.S. 478 (1991)

No absolute immunity for prosecutor's legal advice to police.

Forrester v. White, 484 U.S. 219 (1988)

No judicial immunity for administrative acts like firing staff.

Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800 (1982)

Qualified immunity: clearly established law standard.

Hope v. Pelzer, 536 U.S. 730 (2002)

Obvious cruelty can clearly establish law without identical precedent.

Imbler v. Pachtman, 424 U.S. 409 (1976)

Absolute prosecutorial immunity for advocacy functions.

Kalina v. Fletcher, 522 U.S. 118 (1997)

Prosecutor acting as complaining witness loses absolute immunity.

Malley v. Briggs, 475 U.S. 335 (1986)

No immunity for warrant application no reasonable officer would believe showed probable cause.

Mireles v. Waco, 502 U.S. 9 (1991)

Judicial immunity covers even malicious judicial acts.

Mullenix v. Luna, 577 U.S. 7 (2015)

Clearly established law must be particularized, not general.

Pearson v. Callahan, 555 U.S. 223 (2009)

Qualified-immunity two-step is discretionary.

Pulliam v. Allen, 466 U.S. 522 (1984)

Judicial immunity does not bar prospective injunctive relief (since limited by statute).

Rehberg v. Paulk, 566 U.S. 356 (2012)

Grand-jury witnesses receive absolute immunity.

Richardson v. Mcknight, 521 U.S. 399 (1997)

Private prison guards get no qualified immunity.

Saucier v. Katz, 533 U.S. 194 (2001)

Original mandatory two-step qualified-immunity sequence.

Stump v. Sparkman, 435 U.S. 349 (1978)

Judicial immunity unless clear absence of all jurisdiction.

Taylor v. Riojas, 592 U.S. 7 (2020)

No immunity where violation is obvious to any reasonable officer.

Tower v. Glover, 467 U.S. 914 (1984)

Public defenders conspiring with state officials get no immunity.

Van De Kamp v. Goldstein, 555 U.S. 335 (2009)

Administrative acts tied to trial advocacy remain absolutely immune.

White v. Pauly, 580 U.S. 73 (2017)

Clearly established law cannot be defined at high generality.

Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969)

Advocacy protected unless incitement to imminent lawless action.

Bridges v. California, 314 U.S. 252 (1941)

Public criticism of courts protected.

Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, 315 U.S. 568 (1942)

Narrow fighting-words doctrine.

City of Houston v. Hill, 482 U.S. 451 (1987)

The First Amendment protects verbal criticism directed at police.

Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 (1971)

Offensive words on a jacket are protected expression.

Counterman v. Colorado, 600 U.S. 66 (2023)

True-threat prosecution requires proof of subjective recklessness.

Elonis v. United States, 575 U.S. 723 (2015)

Negligence insufficient mens rea for federal threat conviction.

Garrison v. Louisiana, 379 U.S. 64 (1964)

Criminal defamation of officials requires actual malice.

Gooding v. Wilson, 405 U.S. 518 (1972)

Overbroad abusive-language statute void.

Hartman v. Moore, 547 U.S. 250 (2006)

Retaliatory-prosecution claim requires absence of probable cause.

Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, 485 U.S. 46 (1988)

Parody of public figures protected.

Lewis v. City of New Orleans, 415 U.S. 130 (1974)

Ordinance punishing speech to officers overbroad.

Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach, 585 U.S. 87 (2018)

Official retaliation policy claim survives despite probable cause.

Mt. Healthy City School District v. Doyle, 429 U.S. 274 (1977)

But-for causation framework for retaliation.

Naacp v. Claiborne Hardware Co., 458 U.S. 886 (1982)

Emotionally charged advocacy protected.

Near v. Minnesota, 283 U.S. 697 (1931)

Prior restraints presumptively unconstitutional.

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964)

Actual-malice standard; robust debate on public officials.

Nieves v. Bartlett, 587 U.S. 391 (2019)

Retaliatory-arrest probable-cause rule and its exception.

Norwell v. City of Cincinnati, 414 U.S. 14 (1973)

Cannot punish nonprovocative verbal protest of an officer.

Packingham v. North Carolina, 582 U.S. 98 (2017)

Social media is a protected forum for speech.

Reed v. Town of Gilbert, 576 U.S. 155 (2015)

Content-based laws get strict scrutiny.

Snyder v. Phelps, 562 U.S. 443 (2011)

Speech on public concern protected even when outrageous.

Terminiello v. City of Chicago, 337 U.S. 1 (1949)

Speech may invite dispute; provocation is protected.

Virginia v. Black, 538 U.S. 343 (2003)

True threats defined; intent to intimidate.

Watts v. United States, 394 U.S. 705 (1969)

Political hyperbole is not a true threat.

Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108 (1964)

Warrant affidavit sufficiency standard (historic).

Albright v. Oliver, 510 U.S. 266 (1994)

Pretrial deprivations analyzed under the Fourth Amendment.

Atwater v. City of Lago Vista, 532 U.S. 318 (2001)

Custodial arrest permitted for minor offenses.

Coolidge v. New Hampshire, 403 U.S. 443 (1971)

Warrant must issue from a neutral and detached magistrate.

County of Riverside v. Mclaughlin, 500 U.S. 44 (1991)

48-hour rule for probable-cause hearings.

Devenpeck v. Alford, 543 U.S. 146 (2004)

Probable cause judged on facts known, not offense cited.

Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154 (1978)

Deliberate falsehood or reckless disregard in warrant affidavit voids the warrant.

Gerstein v. Pugh, 420 U.S. 103 (1975)

Prompt judicial probable-cause determination required for detention.

Giordenello v. United States, 357 U.S. 480 (1958)

Conclusory complaint cannot support arrest warrant.

Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989)

Objective-reasonableness standard for force.

Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213 (1983)

Totality-of-circumstances probable-cause standard.

Johnson v. United States, 333 U.S. 10 (1948)

Inferences must be drawn by a neutral magistrate, not police.

Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347 (1967)

Reasonable-expectation-of-privacy framework.

Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643 (1961)

Exclusionary rule applies to the states.

Payton v. New York, 445 U.S. 573 (1980)

Warrantless home arrest presumptively unconstitutional.

Sgro v. United States, 287 U.S. 206 (1932)

Stale probable cause cannot support a warrant.

Shadwick v. City of Tampa, 407 U.S. 345 (1972)

Issuing officer must be neutral and capable of determining probable cause.

Spinelli v. United States, 393 U.S. 410 (1969)

Informant-tip corroboration standard (historic).

Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1 (1985)

Deadly force limits on fleeing suspects.

Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968)

Stop-and-frisk requires reasonable articulable suspicion.

Torres v. Madrid, 592 U.S. 306 (2021)

Application of force with intent to restrain is a seizure.

United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897 (1984)

Good-faith exception; no reliance on facially deficient warrants.

Whiteley v. Warden, 401 U.S. 560 (1971)

Bare-bones complaint invalidates warrant; arresting officers charged with defects.

Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514 (1972)

Four-factor speedy-trial balancing test.

Bearden v. Georgia, 461 U.S. 660 (1983)

Cannot revoke probation for inability to pay.

Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. 520 (1979)

Pretrial conditions amounting to punishment violate due process.

Doggett v. United States, 505 U.S. 647 (1992)

Extraordinary delay presumptively prejudicial.

Kingsley v. Hendrickson, 576 U.S. 389 (2015)

Objective standard for pretrial-detainee excessive force.

Klopfer v. North Carolina, 386 U.S. 213 (1967)

Speedy-trial right applies to the states.

Schilb v. Kuebel, 404 U.S. 357 (1971)

Bail protections are fundamental and apply to the states.

Stack v. Boyle, 342 U.S. 1 (1951)

Bail set higher than reasonably necessary is excessive under the Eighth Amendment.

United States v. Salerno, 481 U.S. 739 (1987)

Pretrial detention requires individualized due-process safeguards.

Banks v. Dretke, 540 U.S. 668 (2004)

Prosecution cannot hide evidence then fault defendant for not finding it.

Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 78 (1935)

Prosecutor's interest is that justice shall be done, not that it shall win.

Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963)

Suppression of favorable material evidence violates due process.

Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150 (1972)

Impeachment evidence falls within Brady.

Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419 (1995)

Cumulative materiality; prosecutor's duty to learn of favorable evidence.

Mooney v. Holohan, 294 U.S. 103 (1935)

Deliberate deception of court by prosecution violates due process.

Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. 264 (1959)

Conviction obtained with known false testimony violates due process.

Smith v. Cain, 565 U.S. 73 (2012)

Undisclosed contradictory statements of sole eyewitness are material.

United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97 (1976)

Brady duty exists without a defense request.

United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667 (1985)

Materiality: reasonable probability of different result.

Wearry v. Cain, 577 U.S. 385 (2016)

Undisclosed impeachment of key witness requires relief.

Blackledge v. Perry, 417 U.S. 21 (1974)

Prosecutorial vindictiveness — upcharging after appeal.

Bordenkircher v. Hayes, 434 U.S. 357 (1978)

Plea-bargaining pressure limits; vindictiveness boundaries.

North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711 (1969)

Presumption of vindictiveness for harsher resentencing.

United States v. Armstrong, 517 U.S. 456 (1996)

Selective-prosecution discovery threshold.

United States v. Goodwin, 457 U.S. 368 (1982)

Pretrial charging increases: no automatic presumption.

Wayte v. United States, 470 U.S. 598 (1985)

Selective-prosecution standard: discriminatory effect and purpose.

Yick Wo v. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356 (1886)

Discriminatory administration of neutral law violates equal protection.

Blackledge v. Allison, 431 U.S. 63 (1977)

Off-record plea promises may be proved despite record recitals.

Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238 (1969)

Plea invalid absent affirmative record of voluntary waiver.

Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742 (1970)

Guilty plea must be voluntary and intelligent.

Class v. United States, 583 U.S. 174 (2018)

Guilty plea does not waive constitutional challenge to the statute.

Hill v. Lockhart, 474 U.S. 52 (1985)

Ineffective-assistance standard applied to pleas.

Machibroda v. United States, 368 U.S. 487 (1962)

Plea induced by promises or threats is void.

Menna v. New York, 423 U.S. 61 (1975)

Plea does not waive claim that the State may not prosecute at all.

North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25 (1970)

Plea with protestation of innocence permitted with strong factual basis.

Padilla v. Kentucky, 559 U.S. 356 (2010)

Counsel must advise on plea's deportation consequences.

Santobello v. New York, 404 U.S. 257 (1971)

Broken plea promises require remedy.

Town of Newton v. Rumery, 480 U.S. 386 (1987)

Release-dismissal agreements scrutinized for voluntariness and public interest.

Argersinger v. Hamlin, 407 U.S. 25 (1972)

Counsel required for any offense with actual imprisonment.

Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89 (2007)

Pro se filings liberally construed.

Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806 (1975)

Right of self-representation upon knowing and intelligent waiver.

Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963)

Right to appointed counsel in felony cases.

Godinez v. Moran, 509 U.S. 389 (1993)

Competence standard for pleading and waiving counsel.

Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519 (1972)

Pro se pleadings held to less stringent standards.

Indiana v. Edwards, 554 U.S. 164 (2008)

Competence limits on self-representation at trial.

Johnson v. Zerbst, 304 U.S. 458 (1938)

Waiver of counsel must be knowing and intelligent.

Martinez v. Court of Appeal of California, 528 U.S. 152 (2000)

No constitutional right to self-representation on appeal.

Mckaskle v. Wiggins, 465 U.S. 168 (1984)

Standby counsel cannot destroy pro se control of the case.

Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984)

Two-prong ineffective-assistance standard.

United States v. Cronic, 466 U.S. 648 (1984)

Prejudice presumed where counsel entirely fails to test the prosecution.

Aetna Life Insurance Co. v. Lavoie, 475 U.S. 813 (1986)

Justice's personal stake in ruling violates due process.

Caperton v. A.t. Massey Coal Co., 556 U.S. 868 (2009)

Recusal required for probability of actual bias.

Liteky v. United States, 510 U.S. 540 (1994)

Extrajudicial-source doctrine for bias claims.

Mayberry v. Pennsylvania, 400 U.S. 455 (1971)

Vilified judge cannot try the contempt himself.

Offutt v. United States, 348 U.S. 11 (1954)

Justice must satisfy the appearance of justice.

Rippo v. Baker, 580 U.S. 285 (2017)

Recusal standard: objective risk of actual bias.

Tumey v. Ohio, 273 U.S. 510 (1927)

Judge with financial interest in outcome violates due process.

Ward v. Village of Monroeville, 409 U.S. 57 (1972)

Mayor-judge with fiscal stake cannot preside.

Williams v. Pennsylvania, 579 U.S. 1 (2016)

Judge's prior prosecutorial role compels recusal.

in re Murchison, 349 U.S. 133 (1955)

Due process requires the appearance of an impartial tribunal.

Benton v. Maryland, 395 U.S. 784 (1969)

Double Jeopardy Clause applies to the states.

Blockburger v. United States, 284 U.S. 299 (1932)

Same-elements test for multiple punishments.

United States v. Dixon, 509 U.S. 688 (1993)

Blockburger governs successive prosecutions.

ex parte Lange, 85 U.S. (18 Wall.) 163 (1873)

No second punishment for the same offense once satisfied.

Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722 (1991)

Cause-and-prejudice standard for defaulted claims.

Herrera v. Collins, 506 U.S. 390 (1993)

Freestanding innocence claims; truly persuasive showing.

House v. Bell, 547 U.S. 518 (2006)

Gateway innocence shown by new reliable evidence.

Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 (1979)

Sufficiency: any rational trier beyond reasonable doubt.

Martinez v. Ryan, 566 U.S. 1 (2012)

Ineffective PCR counsel can excuse default of IAC claim.

Mcquiggin v. Perkins, 569 U.S. 383 (2013)

Actual innocence overcomes limitations bar.

Murray v. Carrier, 477 U.S. 478 (1986)

Fundamental miscarriage of justice excuses default.

Schlup v. Delo, 513 U.S. 298 (1995)

Actual-innocence gateway through procedural default.

in re Winship, 397 U.S. 358 (1970)

Proof beyond a reasonable doubt is constitutionally required.

County of Sacramento v. Lewis, 523 U.S. 833 (1998)

Shocks-the-conscience standard for executive action.

Lambert v. California, 355 U.S. 225 (1957)

Due-process notice requirement for passive conduct offenses.

Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319 (1976)

Three-factor procedural due-process balancing.

New Hampshire v. Maine, 532 U.S. 742 (2001)

Judicial estoppel bars inconsistent positions.

Rochin v. California, 342 U.S. 165 (1952)

Conduct that shocks the conscience violates due process.

Thompson v. Clark, 596 U.S. 36 (2022)

Malicious-prosecution claim requires only favorable termination, not affirmative innocence.

Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662 (2009)

Plausibility pleading standard.

Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544 (2007)

Plausibility standard announced.

Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41 (1957)

Historic notice-pleading standard (abrogated by Twombly).

Dombrowski v. Pfister, 380 U.S. 479 (1965)

Federal relief against bad-faith, chilling prosecutions.

Ebay Inc. v. Mercexchange, L.l.c., 547 U.S. 388 (2006)

Traditional four-factor test for permanent injunctions.

Mitchum v. Foster, 407 U.S. 225 (1972)

§ 1983 is an express exception to the Anti-Injunction Act.

Nken v. Holder, 556 U.S. 418 (2009)

Stay factors parallel injunction factors.

Sprint Communications, Inc. v. Jacobs, 571 U.S. 69 (2013)

Younger limited to three exceptional categories.

Steffel v. Thompson, 415 U.S. 452 (1974)

Declaratory relief available when no prosecution is pending.

Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council, 555 U.S. 7 (2008)

Four-factor preliminary-injunction standard.

Younger v. Harris, 401 U.S. 37 (1971)

Federal abstention from ongoing state prosecutions; bad-faith exception.

ex parte Young, 209 U.S. 123 (1908)

Prospective relief against state officers despite immunity.

Boddie v. Connecticut, 401 U.S. 371 (1971)

Court fees cannot bar indigent access to fundamental process.

Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817 (1977)

Right of access to courts requires legal resources.

Christopher v. Harbury, 536 U.S. 403 (2002)

Elements of denial-of-access claims.

Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97 (1976)

Deliberate indifference to serious medical needs; liberal pro se construction.

Johnson v. Avery, 393 U.S. 483 (1969)

Jailhouse lawyers protected absent alternatives.

Lewis v. Casey, 518 U.S. 343 (1996)

Access claims require actual injury.

ex parte Hull, 312 U.S. 546 (1941)

State cannot screen prisoner court filings.

Mcgirt v. Oklahoma, 591 U.S. 894 (2020)

Creek Reservation remains Indian country for federal criminal jurisdiction.

Oklahoma v. Castro-huerta, 597 U.S. 629 (2022)

State has concurrent jurisdiction over non-Indian crimes against Indians.

Solem v. Bartlett, 465 U.S. 463 (1984)

Diminishment framework for reservation boundaries.

Worcester v. Georgia, 31 U.S. (6 Pet.) 515 (1832)

Tribal sovereignty foundation case.

Mata v. Avianca, Inc., 678 F. Supp. 3d 443 (S.D.N.Y. 2023)

Lawyers sanctioned for filing AI-fabricated citations.