WASHINGTON, DC – Following this morning’s decision at the Supreme Court in Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon, a case in which the Court considered whether police officers who file baseless criminal charges against a person are exempt from liability simply because the officers also filed other charges against that person which were supported by probable cause, Constitutional Accountability Center Deputy Chief Counsel Brian Frazelle issued the following reaction:

The Supreme Court today rightly rejected the Sixth Circuit’s categorical rule that police officers are immune from liability for making baseless charges against a person merely because those officers also brought a valid charge against the same person at the same time.

As we argued in our brief, and as the Court recognized today, a baseless charge violates the Fourth Amendment whenever it causes or prolongs a person’s arrest. Such an approach ensures that police officers will not be let off the hook for making false accusations simply because they manage to combine them with one legitimately brought charge.

While the Court left open some questions about how this approach should be applied, today’s decision marks a small, but important, step forward for police accountability.

##
Resources:
Case page in Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon, Ohio: https://www.theusconstitution.org/litigation/chiaverini-v-city-of-napoleon-ohio/
##
Constitutional Accountability Center is a nonpartisan think tank and public interest law firm dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text, history, and values. Visit CAC’s website at www.theusconstitution.org.
##