Tap any paragraph to write a margin note. Your notes collect in the Desk below the text and file under cases with @. The side-by-side margin rail opens on a larger screen.

§ 1983. Civil action for deprivation of rights

339 words·~2 min read·/usc/title-42/section-1983

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, except that in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in such officer’s judicial capacity, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated or declaratory relief was unavailable.
For the purposes of this section, any Act of Congress applicable exclusively to the District of Columbia shall be considered to be a statute of the District of Columbia.
(R.S. § 1979; Pub. L. 96–170, § 1, Dec. 29, 1979, 93 Stat. 1284; Pub. L. 104–317, title III, § 309(c), Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3853.)
Connections301 cite this · traces to 1
Cited by 301 sections · top 60
statutes-at-large
bill
Traces to 1 document
10 references not yet in our index
  • Pub. L. 96–170, § 1
  • 93 Stat. 1284
  • Pub. L. 104–317, title III, § 309(c)
  • 110 Stat. 3853
  • act Apr. 20, 1871, ch. 22, § 1
  • 17 Stat. 13
  • section 43 of Title 8
  • Pub. L. 104–317
  • Pub. L. 96–170
  • section 3 of Pub. L. 96–170
Citation graph
cites case law
§ 1983
Civil action for deprivation of rights
Bills×256
Fed. Reg.×18
Stat.×14
Stat. Comp.×6
U.S.C.×6
C.F.R.×1
Pub. L.Pub. L. 96–170, § 1
Stat.93 Stat. 1284
Pub. L.Pub. L. 104–317, title III, § 309(c)
Stat.110 Stat. 3853
Actact Apr. 20, 1871, ch. 22, § 1
Cites 11 · showing 6Cited by 301 across 6 sources
★   the supreme law of the land   ★
Don't Tread on Me
E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one

"If you don't know your rights, you don't have any."

Marginalia · a citizen's law index
A research desk, not legal advice. Always read the cited source before relying on a summary.
Questions or an issue? support@self-law.org
disclaimerMarginalia is a research index, not a law firm. Nothing on this site is legal, tax, or financial advice and no attorney–client relationship is formed by using it. Statutes, regulations, and case law change; summaries, search results, AI output, and member posts may be incomplete, out of date, or wrong. Any interpretation drawn from material on this site should be validated by a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before you act on it.