In the labyrinth of legal procedures, summary judgment stands out as a pivotal mechanism that can significantly alter the trajectory of a case. For those unfamiliar with the term, summary judgment is a legal process by which a court makes a final det...

In the realm of Section 1983 (and civil litigation in general), the summary judgment standard plays a crucial role in determining whether a case proceeds to trial. This procedural device, governed by Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a...

When you hear the term civil litigation, it conjures images of courtrooms, witnesses, and long, drawn out trials. However, many Section 1983 and regular civil cases are resolved before they reach trial, thanks to a legal mechanism known as summary ju...

In the realm of Section 1983 lawsuits and ordinary civil litigation, summary judgment is a pivotal mechanism that can significantly influence the trajectory of a case. It serves as a judicial shortcut to resolve disputes without the need for a full t...

In the United States legal system, the path to justice is often complex, particularly for incarcerated individuals seeking relief for alleged violations of their constitutional rights. One crucial principle that plays a significant role in this proce...

When it comes to selecting the best jurors to render a decision in a prisoner’s Section 1983 civil lawsuit against a prison official, knowing effective questions to ask individuals during voir dire is paramount. In this blog post I share my lis...

In the realm of civil rights litigation, prisoners often rely on 42 U.S.C. §1983 (Section 1983) of the Civil Rights Act of 1871 to seek remedies for constitutional violations they experience during incarceration. Among the remedies available in such ...

In September 2023, Arizona reached a $5,000 settlement to resolve a state prisoner’s retaliation claim that former correctional officer Jacqueline McCowan (Ostrander) issued a false disciplinary citation after being questioned regarding her kno...