Nieves v. Bartlett, 587 U.S. ___, 139 S. Ct. 1715 (May. 28, 2019)

The Court reversed and remanded a decision by the Ninth Circuit, holding that because police officers had probable cause to arrest Respondent Bartlett, his First Amendment retaliatory arrest claim fails as a matter of law. Russell Bartlett sued petitioners—two police officers—alleging that they retaliated against him for his protected First Amendment speech by arresting him for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The Court held that probable cause to make an arrest defeats a claim that the arrest was in retaliation for speech protected by the First Amendment.