United States Sixth Circuit

In plaintiff's suit against the Nineteenth District Court and the court's chief judge, claiming that she was terminated in retaliation for her complaints to state court official's about the judge's use of religious language from the bench, district court's grant in part and denial in part of defendants' summary judgment motion is reversed in part, affirmed in part and remanded where: 1) the Nineteenth District Court is entitled to the immunity protections of the Eleventh Amendment, and all federal claims against it must be dismissed; 2) as an officer of the Nineteenth District court, the chief judge is also entitled to sovereign immunity from all federal claims against him in his official capacity seeking damages and retrospective relief; and 3) district court's denial of qualified immunity to the judge in his personal capacity on plaintiff's First Amendment and due process claims is affirmed.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/16/2010
• Decided 12/16/2010
• Published 12/16/2010

Judges

• GIBBONS

Court

• United States Sixth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Margaret A. Nelson, Joel B. Sklar