The Staying Power of Civil Rights Litigation: Policing Post Settlement

Abstract

This paper focuses on the staying power of civil rights litigation post-settlement. Specifically, through an examination of Battle v. City of New York, I focus on the usage of civil rights litigation settlements in bringing down an entrenched practice, like stop and frisk, as well as discussing the legacy of Battle itself. Though I do not purport to make any definitive statements regarding the efficacy of civil rights litigation on the whole, I draw tentative conclusions about the propensity for civil rights litigation to break down a widespread and illegal practice. I make these conclusions while focusing on a single case and dealing with a specific issue of law, i.e., the constitutionality of passenger searches under the Taxi/Livery Robbery Inspection Program (TRIP).