The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, created in 1957 by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status and national origin.
Section 1983 Litigation (Third Edition) analyzes the large number of recurring issues that arise in litigation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. This monograph contains new sections on discovery, Bivens claims, new material on stops and searches, and model jury instructions. It includes case law from the October 2013 Supreme Court term ending June 30, 2014, and major courts of appeals and select district court decisions reported through June 30, 2014.
https://www.fjc.gov/content/section-1983-litigation-third-edition
“Section 1983” refers to 42 U.S.C. §1983, the federal statute that enables you to file a civil action for deprivation of constitutional and federal statutory rights by persons acting under “color of law.” Originally enacted in 1871, Section 1983 litigation experienced a period of dormancy, until 1961 and the landmark Supreme Court case, Monroe v. Pape, 365 U.S. 167 (1961), which gave private litigants a federal court remedy as a first resort rather than only in default of (or after) state action. Today, Section 1983 actions most commonly involve 1st Amendment issues like freedom of speech; 4th Amendment issues like search and seizure or use of force; 8th Amendment issues like cruel and unusual punishment; and 14th Amendment claims of due process violations.
http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/uploads/guides/Section_1983_Outline_2012.pdf
This site includes links to over 1,400 state and federal court rules, forms, and dockets.
Included in the suite of online collections at the Washington State Digital Archives are select Superior Court case records from Chelan, Skagit and Snohomish counties. To search these case records, visit the current collections portion of the Washington State Digital Archives web site, select Search from the main menu and then select the Superior Court Records collection in the Record Series drop-down box. You can search all counties simultaneously or narrow your search to a specific Superior Court. Getting copies of the records you find is not free. You are allowed to view the top portion of the first page of any record for which there is an image but if you want to see the entire document you will need to pay the associated fee. Make sure you also check the scope or coverage note for the court you are searching so you understand what is and is not available in that county’s collection.
This website, created by the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC), provides links to the codes of many Washington States municipalities. The codes can be searched individually by municipality.
http://mrsc.org/Home/Research-Tools/Washington-City-Codes.aspx
This website, created by the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC), provides links to the codes of many Washington States counties. The codes can be searched individually by county.
http://mrsc.org/Home/Research-Tools/Washington-County-Codes.aspx
On this website are slip opinions from the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals that were filed after February 22, 2013. Slip opinions are the opinions that are filed on the day that the appellate court issues its decision and are often not the court’s final opinion.
Free access: The Washington State Judicial Opinions Website provides free public access to the precedential, published appellate decisions from the Washington State Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.
There is no charge to search, retrieve or save documents from this website, and there is no copyright on opinion text. The site, however, is for personal, not commercial, use.