Imbler v. Pachtman
Encyclopedia
Imbler v. Pachtman, 424 U.S. 409
(1976), was a United States
Supreme Court case in which district attorneys
or prosecutors
were found to have full immunity
from civil suits resulting from their government duties.
Imbler, a defendant in a murder trial, had been convicted and sentenced when the district attorney, Pachtman, revealed new evidence that he said had recently surfaced and which exonerated
Imbler. Imbler used the new evidence to successfully free himself, then brought up a civil suit alleging that Pachtman had withheld evidence. The suit, however, was dismissed on the grounds that Pachtman had prosecutorial immunity
, a finding which the Supreme Court affirmed.
Case citation
Case citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...
(1976), was a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Supreme Court case in which district attorneys
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
or prosecutors
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
were found to have full immunity
Qualified immunity
Qualified immunity is a doctrine in U.S. federal law that arises in cases brought against state officials under 42 U.S.C Section 1983 and against federal officials under Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents, 403 U.S. 388 . Qualified immunity shields government officials from liability for the...
from civil suits resulting from their government duties.
Imbler, a defendant in a murder trial, had been convicted and sentenced when the district attorney, Pachtman, revealed new evidence that he said had recently surfaced and which exonerated
Exoneration
Exoneration occurs when a person who has been convicted of a crime is later proved to have been innocent of that crime. Attempts to exonerate convicts are particularly controversial in death penalty cases, especially where new evidence is put forth after the execution has taken place.The term...
Imbler. Imbler used the new evidence to successfully free himself, then brought up a civil suit alleging that Pachtman had withheld evidence. The suit, however, was dismissed on the grounds that Pachtman had prosecutorial immunity
Prosecutorial immunity
Immunity from prosecution occurs when a prosecutor grants immunity, usually to a witness in exchange for testimony or production of other evidence. It is immunity because the prosecutor essentially agrees to never prosecute the crime that the witness might have committed in exchange for said...
, a finding which the Supreme Court affirmed.
External links
Imbler v. Pachtman at Findlaw.com Full text of the opinion courtesy of Findlaw.com.- Imbler v. Pachtman at Public.Resource.org
- Brummet, D. (1979) Chi.-Kent L. Rev. Section 1983, Immunity, and the Public Defender: The Misapplication of Imbler v. Pachtman.