Ashcroft v. Iqbal

Holding that a claim is plausible where a plaintiff's allegations enable the court to draw a "reasonable inference" the defendant is liable

Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly

Holding that a complaint's allegations should "contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to 'state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face' "

Pearson v. Callahan

Holding that a court may, without deciding whether there was a constitutional violation, look to the question of whether that right was "clearly established"

Neitzke v. Williams

Holding that "an in forma pauperis pro se complaint may only be dismissed as frivolous ... when the petitioner cannot make any claim with a rational or arguable basis in law or in fact"

Saucier v. Katz

Holding when a defendant seeks qualified immunity, "a ruling on that issue should be made early in the proceedings so that the costs and expenses of trial are avoided where the defense is dispositive."

Will v. Michigan Dept. of State Police

Holding that official capacity state officer suits for prospective injunctive relief are suits against a "person" under § 1983 even though a "State" is not a "person" under that statute

Harlow v. Fitzgerald

Holding that public officials are entitled to a "qualified immunity" from "liability for civil damages insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established . . . rights of which a reasonable person would have known"

Papasan v. Allain

Holding that Ex parte Young would not support a suit against a state for ongoing liability for an alleged past breach of trust, since "continuing payment of the income from the lost corpus is essentially equivalent in economic terms to a one-time restoration of the lost corpus itself"

Mitchell v. Forsyth

Holding that some orders denying summary judgment constitute " 'final decisions' " under the collateral order doctrine

Edelman v. Jordan

Holding that waiver may be found in "express language" or by "overwhelming implications from the text"

Section 1983 - Civil action for deprivation of rights

Holding liable any state actor who "subjects, or causes [a person] to be subjected" to a constitutional violation

Rule 12 - Defenses and Objections: When and How Presented; Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings; Consolidating Motions; Waiving Defenses; Pretrial Hearing

Granting the court discretion to exclude matters outside the pleadings presented to the court in defense of a motion to dismiss

Section 1915 - Proceedings in forma pauperis

Holding that, after a plaintiff is granted in forma pauperis status, "the court shall dismiss the case at any time if the court determines that . . . the action or appeal . . . fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted"

Rule 8 - General Rules of Pleading

Holding that "[e]very defense to a claim for relief in any pleading must be asserted in the responsive pleading. . . ."

Section 1997e - Suits by prisoners

Holding that prisoners must exhaust "available" administrative remedies before filing suit in federal court

Rule 62.1 - Indicative Ruling on a Motion for Relief That is Barred by a Pending Appeal

Directing that, "[i]f a timely motion is made for relief that the court lacks authority to grant because of an appeal that has been docketed and is pending, the court may" do one of these things: " defer considering the motion; deny the motion; or state either that it would grant the motion if the court of appeals remands for that purpose or that the motion raises a substantial issue"

Section 13:5106 - Limitations

Waiving immunity only in state court

Section 46:236.1.7 - Family and child support programs; liability

Section 46:3 - Trustees or administrators shall not be interested in contracts with or sales to charitable institutions; penalties