WASHINGTON, DC – Following today’s decision at the Supreme Court in Williams v. Reed, a case in which the Court considered whether states may force civil rights litigants who bring claims against state officials in state court under Section 1983 to first exhaust their administrative remedies, Constitutional Accountability Center Counsel Nina Henry issued the following reaction:

The Court’s decision today recognizes that Section 1983 does not allow states to force plaintiffs into an impossible “catch-22” where they cannot challenge a state official’s failure to issue a decision on an application until that same official issues a decision on the application.

As we explained in our brief, Section 1983 was passed to allow the vindication of federal rights in court notwithstanding contrary state policies, and it would be antithetical to the text, history, and purpose of Section 1983 if states could frustrate individuals’ ability to seek the remedy Section 1983 provides by forcing plaintiffs into Kafkaesque administrative review processes.

Section 1983 was passed to throw open the courthouse doors in the face of state opposition to civil rights, and today’s decision is a step toward ensuring civil rights plaintiffs receive their day in court.