Thread by @DrIbram

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Thompson v. Clark, a case that has major implications for police accountability and racial justice. The @AntiracismCtr partnered with @BULawDean to submit an amicus brief in this case. 1/8
bu.edu/antiracism-cen…

The Court is considering whether a person is barred from bringing certain civil rights claims unless the prior criminal proceeding ended in a manner that affirmatively indicates their innocence. This is the “indications-of-innocence” standard. 2/8
bu.edu/antiracism-cen…

Our amicus brief in this case explains how the “indications-of-innocence” standard prevents some victims of racist police misconduct from holding police accountable. 3/8
bu.edu/antiracism-cen…

As my colleague Jasmine Gonzales Rose wrote @BostonGlobe, "The indications-of-innocence standard is an insidious procedural loophole that ensures that courts don’t review the civil rights claims of victims of police cover charges." 4/8
bostonglobe.com/2021/10/12/opi…

This standard is particularly harmful to people of color who are often the targets of false criminal charges. Police use these charges to cover up their own abuses. 5/8
bostonglobe.com/2021/10/12/opi…

"This practice is so well-known that it is colloquially referred to as pursuing 'cover charges,'" wrote my colleagues Neda Khoshkhoo and Caitlin Glass. 6/8
bu.edu/articles/2021/…

But under the “indications-of-innocence” standard, the police cannot be held accountable under federal civil rights law if those false charges are ultimately dismissed. 7/8
bu.edu/articles/2021/…

Read our op-eds and brief to learn more about why we urge the Court to reject the “indications-of-innocence” standard and remove a legal loophole to police accountability for racist misconduct. 8/8
bu.edu/antiracism-cen…