Section 242 is the criminal counterpart of which civil rights statute?

Section 242 is the criminal counterpart of which civil rights statute?

• A. 42 U.S.C. 1983
• B. 42 U.S.C. 1985
• C. 42 U.S.C. 1988
• D. 42 U.S.C. 1990

Answer: (A)

Section 242 is about criminal conduct: it makes it a crime for someone acting under color of law to willfully deprive a person of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. The civil remedy that corresponds to that same conduct is provided by 42 U.S.C. 1983, which allows individuals to sue state actors who deprive them of those rights under color of law. In other words, when a government official violates someone’s constitutional rights, the same underlying harm is addressed civilly through a 1983 action and criminally through §242, depending on the case. The other statutes cited deal with different issues—conspiracies to violate rights, attorney’s fees, or unrelated topics—so they aren’t the civil counterpart to the criminal statute.

Section 242 is about criminal conduct: it makes it a crime for someone acting under color of law to willfully deprive a person of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. The civil remedy that corresponds to that same conduct is provided by 42 U.S.C. 1983, which allows individuals to sue state actors who deprive them of those rights under color of law. In other words, when a government official violates someone’s constitutional rights, the same underlying harm is addressed civilly through a 1983 action and criminally through §242, depending on the case. The other statutes cited deal with different issues—conspiracies to violate rights, attorney’s fees, or unrelated topics—so they aren’t the civil counterpart to the criminal statute.