In 1967, a man arrested on drug charges brought suit in federal court against the arresting officers, claiming they had violated his Fourth Amendment rights. The U.S. district court dismissed the suit on the grounds that a federal officer could not be sued in federal court for violations of constitutional rights absent a specific statute authorizing the suit. The U.S. court of appeals affirmed the decision. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the Fourth Amendment impliedly authorized federal lawsuits for damages as the most logical and appropriate way for citizens to enforce their right to be free of unreasonable search and seizure. The Court later ruled in favor of lawsuits for violations of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause and the Eighth Amendment’s protection from cruel and unusual punishment.

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