Butz v. Economou
- Decided
- June 29, 1978
- Docket
- 76-709
- Status
- Published
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
Cited 3,397 timesNo negative treatment found in this library
What later courts said
- holding that persons performing adjudicatory functions within federal agencies are entitled to absolute immunity from damages liability for their judicial acts — Churchill v. University of Colorado at Boulder (2012)
- holding that, although employed within the executive branch, an administrative law judge is entitled to absolute judicial immunity — (untitled) (1984)
- holding that state nursing regulatory board and its members were entitled to absolute immunity for performing quasi-judicial functions — Robert Lee Beck, Md, Dmd v. Texas State Board Of Dental Examiners (2000)
Each line is a later court’s own words about this case, not a summary. Read the opinion before relying on it.
How the opinion begins
Me. Justice White delivered the opinion of the Court.
This case concerns the personal immunity of federal officials in the Executive Branch from claims for damages arising from their violations of citizens’ constitutional rights. Respondent[1] filed suit against a number of officials in the Department of Agriculture claiming that they had instituted an investigation and an administrative proceeding against him in retaliation for his criticism of that agency. The District Court dismissed the action on the ground that the individual defendants, as federal officials, were entitled to absolute immunity for all discretionary acts within the scope of their authority. The Court of Appeals reversed, holding that the defendants were entitled only to the qualified immunity available to their counterparts in state government. Economou v. U. S. Department of Agriculture, 535 F. 2d 688 (1976). Because of [*481] the importance of immunity doctrine to both the vindication of constitutional guarantees and the effective functioning of government, we granted certiorari. 429 U. S. 1089.
I
Statutes cited
Cite this
Butz v. Economou, 438 U.S. 478 (1978)Read the full opinion
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