Supreme Court Rules for Plaintiffs on Civil-Rights Suits (1)

The U.S. Supreme Court made it easier for plaintiffs to bring certain civil-rights claims after their criminal cases end, rejecting the predominant standard throughout the country that was more burdensome.

To bring so-called malicious-prosecution suits in federal court, plaintiffs only need to show their criminal cases ended without convictions, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the 6-3 majority on Monday.

The prevailing standard in the lower courts had required plaintiffs to show affirmative indications of innocence, a rule that Kavanaugh called “upside-down” at the October oral argument.

Requiring innocence proof “would seem to have the perverse consequence of ensuring that some ...