| Thompson v. Clark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued October 12, 2021 Decided April 4, 2022 | |
| Full case name | Larry Thompson v. Pagiel Clark, et al. |
| Docket no. | 20-659 |
| Citations | 596 U.S. ___ (more) |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Kavanaugh, joined by Roberts, Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan, Barrett |
| Dissent | Alito, joined by Thomas, Gorsuch |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. IV, 42 U.S.C. § 1983 | |
Thompson v. Clark, 596 U.S. ___ (2022), was a United States Supreme Court case concerning whether a plaintiff suing for malicious prosecution must show that they were affirmatively exonerated of committing the alleged crime. The Supreme Court, in a 6–3 opinion authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh held that no such requirement existed and that a plaintiff suing for malicious prosecution in the context of a Fourth Amendment "need only show that his prosecution ended without a conviction." Justice Samuel Alito dissented from the majority opinion and was joined by Justices Thomas and Gorsuch. Media coverage of the decision portrayed the Court's ruling as a victory for civil rights lawsuits.