<P> Monroe v. Pape , 365 U.S. 167 ( 1961 ) , was a United States Supreme Court case that considered the application of federal civil rights law to constitutional violations by city employees . The case was significant because it held that 42 U.S.C. § 1983 , a statutory provision from 1871 , could be used to sue state officers who violated a plaintiff 's constitutional rights . § 1983 had previously been a relatively obscure and little - used statute , but since Monroe it has become a central part of United States civil rights law . </P>
<P> Monroe v. Pape , 365 U.S. 167 ( 1961 ) , was a United States Supreme Court case that considered the application of federal civil rights law to constitutional violations by city employees . The case was significant because it held that 42 U.S.C. § 1983 , a statutory provision from 1871 , could be used to sue state officers who violated a plaintiff 's constitutional rights . § 1983 had previously been a relatively obscure and little - used statute , but since Monroe it has become a central part of United States civil rights law . </P>
supreme court case that deals with section 1983 violations
supreme court case that deals with section 1983 violations
Monroe v. Pape
Monroe v. Pape