Law Commons^™

Washington Courts Get Stingy: Improper Denial Of Attorney's Fees Under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 And 1988, Brian Buckley

Washington Law Review

42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1988 allow persons to challenge state laws that violate their federal constitutional rights and to recover their attorney's fees should they prevail. This Comment analyzes two recent Washington cases in which the plaintiffs were denied fee recoveries despite having successfully challenged state statutes. This Comment then argues that fee awards should have been granted in both cases and that in the future fee awards should rarely be denied when plaintiffs invalidate state law under §§ 1983 and 1988.