The Supreme Court has rejected disbarred lawyer Michael Cohen’s attempt to revive a civil rights claim against his former boss, Donald Trump. Cohen alleged that Trump and other officials violated his rights by placing him in solitary confinement for writing a tell-all book while he was serving a prison sentence. Despite a federal judge releasing him after 16 days in solitary confinement, Cohen’s claims were dismissed by lower courts citing the difficulty of bringing constitutional claims against federal officials. This difficulty is due to a Supreme Court ruling in 1971 that makes it nearly impossible to bring civil rights claims against individual officials, known as “Bivens claims.” This ruling was reaffirmed in a 2022 case, effectively putting such claims on life support. As a result, Cohen’s claims against Trump and other officials were thrown out by the courts. This decision indicates the challenges faced in holding federal officials accountable for allegedly unconstitutional conduct.
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Supreme Court denies Michael Cohen’s civil rights lawsuit against Trump
