Justices Asked to Settle Split on Police Civil Rights Suits

A coalition of 57 prosecutors, ex-Justice Department officials, and former judges is calling on the Supreme Court to impose a more plaintiff-friendly standard for certain civil rights suits lodged against law enforcement after criminal cases are dismissed.

The group contends that the bar, which is widely applied but has split federal appellate courts, is too high for people whose Fourth Amendment rights were violated and want to sue officers for malicious prosecution.

“The constitutional claim here is one of the most serious—that an officer has abused the legal process to put someone in jail and have them charged with ...