The courts
Section 1983
The Reconstruction-era statute letting people sue state and local officials in federal court for violating their constitutional rights.
In full
Enacted as part of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 and codified at 42 U.S.C. 1983, it lay largely dormant until the 1960s. It is now the main vehicle for civil rights litigation against police, prisons, and local governments. Qualified immunity, municipal liability rules, and damages limits shape how much it delivers in practice.
Where to go next
Keep going
Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.