farrar
hobby
argued
october
decided
december
petitioners
coadministrators
decedent
farrar
estate
sought
million
compensatory
damages
pursuant
respondent
hobby
texas
public
officials
alleged
illegal
closure
school
farrar
son
operated
however
federal
district
awarded
nominal
damages
subsequently
awarded
attorney
fees
appeals
reversed
fee
award
ground
petitioners
prevailing
parties
eligible
fees
held
plaintiff
wins
nominal
damages
prevailing
party
plaintiff
prevails
actual
relief
merits
claim
materially
alters
legal
relationship
parties
modifying
defendant
behavior
way
directly
benefits
plaintiff
hewitt
helms
rhodes
stewart
texas
state
teachers
assn
garland
independent
school
petitioners
entitled
nominal
damages
carey
piphus
able
establish
hobby
liability
denial
procedural
due
process
prove
actual
injury
necessary
compensatory
damages
award
judgment
nominal
damages
entitled
petitioners
demand
payment
modified
hobby
behavior
petitioners
benefit
forcing
pay
amount
money
otherwise
paid
prevailing
party
inquiry
turn
magnitude
relief
obtained
whether
nominal
damages
award
technical
insignificant
victory
affect
plaintiff
prevailing
party
status
cf
garland
supra
pp
petitioners
entitled
fee
award
technical
nature
nominal
damages
award
affect
prevailing
party
inquiry
bear
propriety
fees
awarded
critical
factor
determining
fee
award
reasonableness
degree
success
obtained
since
fee
based
hours
expended
litigation
whole
may
excessive
plaintiff
achieves
partial
limited
success
hensley
eckerhart
plaintiff
recovers
nominal
damages
failure
prove
essential
element
claim
monetary
relief
reasonable
fee
usually
fee
light
relationship
extent
petitioners
success
merits
award
amount
reasonable
fee
district
award
fee
pp
thomas
delivered
opinion
rehnquist
scalia
kennedy
joined
filed
concurring
opinion
post
white
filed
opinion
concurring
part
dissenting
part
blackmun
stevens
souter
joined
post
gerald
birnberg
argued
cause
petitioners
brief
michael
maness
waggoner
carr
finis
cowan
argued
cause
respondent
brief
dan
morales
attorney
general
texas
pryor
first
assistant
attorney
general
thomas
gibbs
gee
briefs
amici
curiae
urging
affirmance
filed
state
alabama
et
al
warren
price
iii
attorney
general
hawaii
steven
michaels
deputy
attorney
general
frankie
sue
del
papa
attorney
general
nevada
brooke
nielsen
assistant
attorney
general
jimmy
evans
attorney
general
alabama
charles
cole
attorney
general
alaska
winston
bryant
attorney
general
arkansas
daniel
lungren
attorney
general
california
richard
blumenthal
attorney
general
connecticut
charles
oberly
iii
attorney
general
delaware
robert
butterworth
attorney
general
florida
michael
bowers
attorney
general
georgia
larry
echohawk
attorney
general
idaho
roland
burris
attorney
general
illinois
linley
pearson
attorney
general
indiana
bonnie
campbell
attorney
general
iowa
robert
stephan
attorney
general
kansas
chris
gorman
attorney
general
kentucky
richard
ieyoub
attorney
general
louisiana
michael
carpenter
attorney
general
maine
joseph
curran
attorney
general
maryland
scott
harshbarger
attorney
general
massachusetts
frank
kelley
attorney
general
michigan
hubert
humphrey
iii
attorney
general
minnesota
mike
moore
attorney
general
mississippi
william
webster
attorney
general
missouri
stenberg
attorney
general
nebraska
john
arnold
attorney
general
new
hampshire
robert
del
tufo
attorney
general
new
jersey
lacy
thornburg
attorney
general
north
carolina
nicholas
spaeth
attorney
general
north
dakota
lee
fisher
attorney
general
ohio
ernest
preate
attorney
general
pennsylvania
james
attorney
general
rhode
island
travis
medlock
attorney
general
south
carolina
mark
barnett
attorney
general
south
dakota
charles
burson
attorney
general
tennessee
paul
van
dam
attorney
general
utah
jeffrey
amestoy
attorney
general
vermont
mary
sue
terry
attorney
general
virginia
ken
eikenberry
attorney
general
washington
joseph
meyer
attorney
general
wyoming
jorge
attorney
general
puerto
rico
elizabeth
attorney
general
guam
john
payton
corporation
counsel
district
columbia
county
los
angeles
richard
towne
de
witt
clinton
patrick
meyers
americans
effective
law
enforcement
et
al
george
franscell
wayne
schmidt
equal
employment
advisory
council
ann
elizabeth
reesman
robert
williams
douglas
mcdowell
national
league
cities
et
al
richard
ruda
michael
dzialo
glen
nager
washington
legal
foundation
et
al
daniel
popeo
richard
samp
talbot
eric
schnurer
carter
phillips
filed
brief
american
bar
association
amicus
curiae
justice
thomas
delivered
opinion
decide
today
whether
civil
rights
plaintiff
receives
nominal
damages
award
prevailing
party
eligible
receive
attorney
fees
appeals
fifth
circuit
reversed
award
attorney
fees
ground
plaintiff
receiving
nominal
damages
prevailing
party
although
hold
plaintiff
prevailing
party
affirm
denial
fees
case
joseph
davis
farrar
dale
lawson
farrar
owned
operated
artesia
hall
school
liberty
county
texas
delinquent
disabled
disturbed
teens
artesia
hall
student
died
liberty
county
grand
jury
returned
murder
indictment
charging
joseph
farrar
willful
failure
administer
proper
medical
treatment
failure
provide
timely
hospitalization
state
texas
also
obtained
temporary
injunction
closed
artesia
hall
respondent
william
hobby
lieutenant
governor
texas
participated
events
leading
closing
artesia
hall
joseph
farrar
indicted
hobby
issued
press
release
criticizing
texas
department
public
welfare
licensing
procedures
urged
department
director
investigate
artesia
hall
accompanied
governor
dolph
briscoe
inspection
school
finally
attended
temporary
injunction
hearing
briscoe
spoke
reporters
hearing
joseph
farrar
sued
hobby
judge
clarence
cain
county
attorney
arthur
hartell
iii
director
two
employees
department
public
welfare
monetary
injunctive
relief
complaint
alleged
deprivation
liberty
property
without
due
process
means
conspiracy
malicious
prosecution
aimed
closing
artesia
hall
later
amendments
complaint
added
dale
farrar
plaintiff
dropped
claim
injunctive
relief
increased
request
damages
million
joseph
farrar
died
february
petitioners
dale
farrar
pat
smith
coadministrators
estate
substituted
plaintiffs
case
tried
jury
southern
district
texas
august
special
interrogatories
jury
found
defendants
except
hobby
conspired
plaintiffs
conspiracy
proximate
cause
injury
suffered
plaintiffs
jury
also
found
hobby
committed
act
acts
color
state
law
deprived
plaintiff
joseph
davis
farrar
civil
right
found
hobby
conduct
proximate
cause
damages
suffered
joseph
farrar
app
brief
opposition
jury
made
findings
favor
dale
farrar
accordance
jury
answers
special
interrogatories
district
ordered
plaintiffs
take
nothing
action
dismissed
merits
parties
bear
costs
appeals
fifth
circuit
affirmed
part
reversed
part
farrar
cain
affirmed
failure
award
compensatory
nominal
damages
conspirators
plaintiffs
proved
actual
deprivation
constitutional
right
jury
found
hobby
deprived
joseph
farrar
civil
right
however
fifth
circuit
remanded
entry
judgment
hobby
nominal
damages
plaintiffs
sought
attorney
fees
january
district
entered
order
awarding
plaintiffs
fees
expenses
prejudgment
interest
hobby
denied
hobby
motion
reconsider
fee
award
august
divided
fifth
circuit
panel
reversed
fee
award
estate
farrar
cain
reviewing
decisions
hewitt
helm
rhodes
stewart
per
curiam
texas
state
teachers
assn
garland
independent
school
majority
held
plaintiffs
prevailing
parties
therefore
ineligible
fees
farrars
sued
million
money
damages
jury
gave
nothing
money
damages
declaratory
relief
injunctive
relief
nothing
farrars
succeed
securing
jury
finding
hobby
violated
civil
rights
nominal
award
one
dollar
however
finding
meaningful
sense
change
legal
relationship
farrars
hobby
result
success
farrars
significant
issue
achieve
benefit
farrars
sought
bringing
suit
sole
relief
sought
money
damages
fail
see
party
prevails
winning
one
dollar
million
requested
citations
omitted
quoting
garland
supra
dissent
argued
hewitt
rhodes
garland
go
far
hold
plaintiff
obtains
nominal
damages
constitutional
deprivation
considered
prevailing
party
reavley
dissenting
granted
certiorari
ii
civil
rights
attorney
fees
awards
act
stat
amended
provides
relevant
part
action
proceeding
enforce
provision
sections
title
title
ix
public
law
title
vi
civil
rights
act
discretion
may
allow
prevailing
party
reasonable
attorney
fee
part
costs
congress
intended
permit
award
counsel
fees
party
prevailed
merits
hanrahan
hampton
per
curiam
therefore
order
qualify
attorney
fees
plaintiff
must
prevailing
party
generous
formulation
term
plaintiffs
may
considered
prevailing
parties
attorney
fees
purposes
succeed
significant
issue
litigation
achieves
benefit
parties
sought
bringing
suit
hensley
eckerhart
quoting
nadeau
helgemoe
iability
merits
responsibility
fees
go
hand
hand
defendant
prevailed
either
legal
immunity
merits
authorize
fee
award
defendant
kentucky
graham
rhodes
stewart
per
curiam
reversed
award
attorney
fees
premised
solely
declaratory
judgment
prison
officials
violated
plaintiffs
first
fourteenth
amendment
rights
time
district
entered
judgment
one
plaintiffs
died
longer
custody
circumstances
held
neither
plaintiff
prevailing
party
explained
nothing
hewitt
suggested
entry
declaratory
judgment
party
favor
automatically
renders
party
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reaffirmed
judgment
declaratory
otherwise
constitute
relief
purposes
affects
behavior
defendant
toward
plaintiff
whatever
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prison
policies
declaratory
judgment
might
effected
way
benefited
either
plaintiff
one
dead
released
ibid
finally
texas
state
teachers
assn
garland
independent
school
synthesized
teachings
hewitt
rhodes
considered
prevailing
party
within
meaning
held
plaintiff
must
able
point
resolution
dispute
changes
legal
relationship
defendant
reemphasized
touchstone
prevailing
party
inquiry
must
material
alteration
legal
relationship
parties
test
plaintiffs
garland
prevailing
parties
obtained
judgment
vindicating
first
amendment
rights
public
employees
materially
altered
defendant
school
district
policy
limiting
rights
teachers
communicate
concerning
employee
organizations
union
activities
therefore
qualify
prevailing
party
civil
rights
plaintiff
must
obtain
least
relief
merits
claim
plaintiff
must
obtain
enforceable
judgment
defendant
fees
sought
hewitt
supra
comparable
relief
consent
decree
settlement
maher
gagne
whatever
relief
plaintiff
secures
must
directly
benefit
time
judgment
settlement
see
hewitt
supra
otherwise
judgment
settlement
said
affec
behavior
defendant
toward
plaintiff
rhodes
supra
circumstances
civil
rights
litigation
effect
material
alteration
legal
relationship
parties
thereby
transform
plaintiff
prevailing
party
garland
supra
short
plaintiff
prevails
actual
relief
merits
claim
materially
alters
legal
relationship
parties
modifying
defendant
behavior
way
directly
benefits
plaintiff
iii
doubtless
basic
purpose
damages
award
compensate
persons
injuries
caused
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constitutional
rights
carey
piphus
reason
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damages
may
awarded
suit
absent
proof
actual
injury
accord
memphis
community
school
dist
stachura
also
held
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process
actionable
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proof
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carey
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right
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process
recognizes
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ing
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obligates
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process
prove
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hold
plaintiff
wins
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damages
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enters
judgment
defendant
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declares
defendant
legal
immunity
suit
cf
kentucky
graham
consumers
union
sure
judicial
pronouncement
defendant
violated
constitution
unaccompanied
enforceable
judgment
merits
render
plaintiff
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party
moral
satisfaction
results
favorable
statement
law
bestow
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party
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hewitt
material
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legal
relationship
parties
occurs
plaintiff
becomes
entitled
enforce
judgment
consent
decree
settlement
defendant
plaintiff
may
demand
payment
nominal
damages
less
may
demand
payment
millions
dollars
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damages
judgment
damages
amount
whether
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modifies
defendant
behavior
plaintiff
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defendant
pay
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result
appeals
fifth
circuit
erred
holding
petitioners
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render
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parties
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party
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garland
example
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garland
illustrate
sort
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support
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party
status
test
adopt
today
case
district
declared
unconstitutionally
vague
regulation
requiring
meetings
conducted
prior
approval
local
school
principal
ibid
suggested
finding
alone
sustain
prevailing
party
status
evidence
plaintiffs
ever
refused
permission
use
school
premises
nonschool
hours
ibid
deficiency
hypothetical
victory
identical
shortcoming
rhodes
despite
winning
declaratory
judgment
plaintiffs
alter
defendant
school
board
behavior
toward
benefit
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question
whether
nominal
damages
award
sort
technical
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confer
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hold
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party
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turn
magnitude
relief
obtained
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much
garland
noted
degree
plaintiff
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fee
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emphasis
original
see
also
although
technical
nature
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damages
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judgment
affect
prevailing
party
inquiry
bear
propriety
fees
awarded
civil
rights
litigation
materially
alters
legal
relationship
parties
degree
plaintiff
overall
success
goes
reasonableness
fee
award
hensley
eckerhart
garland
supra
indeed
critical
factor
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reasonableness
fee
award
degree
success
obtained
hensley
supra
accord
marek
chesny
case
petitioners
received
nominal
damages
instead
million
compensatory
damages
sought
litigation
accomplished
little
beyond
giving
petitioners
moral
satisfaction
knowing
federal
concluded
rights
violated
unspecified
way
hewitt
supra
already
observed
plaintiff
achieved
partial
limited
success
product
hours
reasonably
expended
litigation
whole
times
reasonable
hourly
rate
may
excessive
amount
hensley
supra
yet
district
calculated
petitioners
fee
award
precisely
fashion
without
engaging
measured
exercise
discretion
recovery
private
damages
purpose
civil
rights
litigation
district
fixing
fees
obligated
give
primary
consideration
amount
damages
awarded
compared
amount
sought
riverside
rivera
powell
concurring
judgment
comparison
promotes
central
responsibility
make
assessment
reasonable
fee
circumstances
case
blanchard
bergeron
considered
amount
nature
damages
awarded
may
lawfully
award
low
fees
fees
without
reciting
factors
bearing
reasonableness
see
hensley
multiplying
number
hours
reasonably
expended
reasonable
hourly
rate
circumstances
even
plaintiff
formally
prevails
receive
attorney
fees
plaintiff
seeks
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damages
receives
nominal
damages
often
prevailing
party
held
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damages
award
render
plaintiff
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party
allowing
vindicate
absolute
right
procedural
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process
enforcement
judgment
defendant
carey
civil
rights
suit
damages
however
awarding
nominal
damages
also
highlights
plaintiff
failure
prove
actual
compensable
injury
whatever
constitutional
basis
substantive
liability
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awarded
action
must
always
designed
compensate
injuries
caused
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deprivation
memphis
community
school
dist
stachura
quoting
carey
supra
emphasis
brackets
original
plaintiff
recovers
nominal
damages
failure
prove
essential
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see
carey
supra
reasonable
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usually
fee
apparent
failure
heed
admonition
fee
awards
never
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produce
windfalls
attorneys
riverside
rivera
supra
plurality
opinion
quoting
district
awarded
attorney
fees
without
consider
ing
relationship
extent
success
amount
fee
award
hensley
supra
although
appeals
erred
failing
recognize
petitioners
prevailing
parties
correctly
reversed
district
fee
award
accordingly
affirm
judgment
appeals
ordered
footnotes
majority
acknowledged
conflict
courts
appeals
second
eighth
ninth
tenth
eleventh
circuits
nn
see
ruggiero
krzeminski
coleman
turner
scofield
hillsborough
nephew
aurora
en
banc
barrett
dissenting
cert
denied
garner
stores
fifth
circuit
decided
case
first
ninth
circuits
rejected
fifth
circuit
position
held
nominal
damages
award
confer
prevailing
party
status
civil
rights
plaintiff
domegan
ponte
romberg
nichols
cert
pending
wallace
concurring
fourth
circuit
adopted
position
consistent
fifth
circuit
lawrence
hinton
fed
rules
spencer
general
elec
dicta
similarly
plaintiff
hewitt
helms
long
since
released
prison
time
failed
lawsuit
putatively
prompted
beneficial
changes
prison
policy
held
fortuity
subsequent
return
prison
presumably
allowed
plaintiff
benefit
new
procedures
hardly
render
retroactively
prevailing
party
even
though
final
judgment
entered
consider
whether
plaintiffs
garland
denied
prevailing
party
status
basis
hey
prevailed
significant
issue
litigation
obtained
relief
sought
justice
concurring
ever
plaintiff
deserved
attorney
fees
plaintiff
joseph
farrar
filed
lawsuit
demanding
million
dollars
six
defendants
years
litigation
two
trips
appeals
got
one
dollar
one
defendant
holds
today
simply
type
victory
merits
award
attorney
fees
accordingly
join
opinion
concur
judgment
write
separately
explain
fully
view
appropriate
deny
fees
case
congress
authorized
federal
courts
award
reasonable
attorney
fee
certain
civil
rights
cases
prevailing
party
texas
state
teachers
assn
garland
independent
school
become
prevailing
party
plaintiff
must
obtain
absolute
minimum
actual
relief
merits
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