Appealed From: U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia
Subjects: Section 1983; First Amendment; Retaliation

Decision: With a 5-4 vote, the justices decided to make it easier to get a jury trial against public officials accused of violating a person's civil rights.

• Read the full text of the Crawford-El v. Britton decision at the Findlaw Internet Legal Resources Web site. The full text of the 1996 lower court case is available there as well, as is the First Amendment.

Sources: The Washington Post, Supreme Court, The United States Law Week (a Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. publication)