Justices Show Support for Flexible Rule on Attorneys’ Fee (1)

The US Supreme Court seemed likely to reject a categorical rule that would limit when civil rights plaintiffs can get attorneys’ fees.

The justices at argument on Tuesday considered what it means to be a “prevailing party” under a federal law intended to both ensure that attorneys would be incentivized to take on civil rights cases and deter state officials from violating constitutional rights.

The case involves a group of indigent Virginia drivers who challenged a state law that automatically suspended their licenses for failure to pay certain court fees.

A federal trial court initially agreed and granted the plaintiffs ...