Sheriffs Must Face Claims From Arrests at SUNY New Paltz Protest

Two law enforcement officers involved in arrests at an anti-Israel protest on the State University of New York’s New Paltz campus must defend claims that they violated protesters’ civil rights.

Ulster County Sheriff Juan P. Figueroa must face the First Amendment retaliation claim and Fourth Amendment excessive force and false arrest claims against him, Judge Anne M. Nardacci said Nov. 7 for the US District Court for the Northern District of New York. Sargent James Harcher must also face the retaliation and false arrest claims, Nardacci said.

To be protected by qualified immunity, Figueroa and Harcher had to show beyond ...