To file civil liability under 42 U.S.C. 1983, what must be present?

• A. It is not required to be a constitutional violation
• B. It must involve a private action
• C. Must be a violation of a constitutional right
• D. It requires no rights violation

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that a §1983 claim arises when a person acting under color of state law deprives someone of a right protected by the Constitution (or federal law). Among the given choices, the best answer is that there must be a violation of a constitutional right because §1983 is intended to redress government actors who take away federally protected rights. Without a rights violation, there’s no §1983 claim, and private actions or a claim with no rights implicated don’t fit the statute. While federal rights can extend beyond the Constitution, the core concept tested here is that the deprivation of a protected right by someone acting under state authority is what triggers civil liability.