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Heck v. Humphrey

No. 93-553 SCOTUS · Teaching/Historical Teaching/Historical SCOTUS

Case Overview

The Supreme Court held that a prisoner cannot bring a Section 1983 civil rights claim that would necessarily imply the invalidity of a conviction or sentence unless and until that conviction or sentence has already been reversed, expunged, or declared invalid by habeas corpus or other means.


The Conclusion

**The Supreme Court held that a Section 1983 claim for damages that would necessarily imply the invalidity of a conviction is not cognizable unless the conviction has been invalidated first.** This is the 'Heck bar' to § 1983 suits.

CourtSupreme Court of the United States
Filed -
CL Status -

No circuit court data for this case.

Cert Granted -
Status -
Filed (CL) -
SCOTUS TMR-e8a04ba8 Jul 19, 2026
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