United States Fourth Circuit

Off-duty law enforcement officers' organized efforts to impede distribution of a publication in order to suppress political criticism were perpetrated under color of state law; thus, the dismissal of a 42 U.S.C. section 1983 claim is reversed.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/30/2002
• Decided 01/16/2003
• Published 01/16/2003

Judges

• Before WILKINSON, Chief Judge, GREGORY, Circuit Judge, and Frank J. MAGILL, Senior Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, sitting by designation.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Ashley Ivy Kissinger, Levine, Sullivan & Koch, L.L.P., Washington, DC, for Appellants.  Daniel Karp, Allen, Karpinski, Bryant & Karp, Baltimore, Maryland, for Appellees.   ON BRIEF:  Lee Levine, Seth D. Berlin, Audrey Billingsley, Levine, Sullivan & Koch, L.L.P., Washington, DC;  Alice Neff Lucan, Washington, DC, for Appellants. Victoria M. Shearer, Kevin Karpinski, Allen, Karpinski, Bryant & Karp, Baltimore, Maryland;  John F. Breads, Jr., Columbia, Maryland, for Appellees.  Paul M. Smith, Thomas J. Perrelli, Nathan C. Guerrero, Brian Hauck, Jenner & Block, L.L.C., Washington, DC, for Amici Curiae;  Lucy A. Dalglish, Gregg P. Leslie, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Arlington, Virginia, for Amicus Curiae Committee;  Richard M. Schmidt, Jr., Kevin M. Goldberg, Cohn & Marks, L.L.P., Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae Society;  Richard Karpel, Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, Washington, DC, for Amicus Curiae Newsweeklies.