§ 1343. — Civil rights and elective franchise.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 28USC1343]
TITLE 28--JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE
PART IV--JURISDICTION AND VENUE
CHAPTER 85--DISTRICT COURTS; JURISDICTION
Sec. 1343. Civil rights and elective franchise
(a) The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of any
civil action authorized by law to be commenced by any person:
(1) To recover damages for injury to his person or property, or
because of the deprivation of any right or privilege of a citizen of
the United States, by any act done in furtherance of any conspiracy
mentioned in section 1985 of Title 42;
(2) To recover damages from any person who fails to prevent or
to aid in preventing any wrongs mentioned in section 1985 of Title
42 which he had knowledge were about to occur and power to prevent;
(3) To redress the deprivation, under color of any State law,
statute, ordinance, regulation, custom or usage, of any right,
privilege or immunity secured by the Constitution of the United
States or by any Act of Congress providing for equal rights of
citizens or of all persons within the jurisdiction of the United
States;
(4) To recover damages or to secure equitable or other relief
under any Act of Congress providing for the protection of civil
rights, including the right to vote.
(b) For purposes of this section--
(1) the District of Columbia shall be considered to be a State;
and
(2) any Act of Congress applicable exclusively to the District
of Columbia shall be considered to be a statute of the District of
Columbia.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 932; Sept. 3, 1954, ch. 1263, Sec. 42,
68 Stat. 1241; Pub. L. 85-315, part III, Sec. 121, Sept. 9, 1957, 71
Stat. 637; Pub. L. 96-170, Sec. 2, Dec. 29, 1979, 93 Stat. 1284.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Sec. 41(12), (13), and (14)
(Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, Sec. 24, pars. 12, 13, 14, 36 Stat. 1092).
Words ``civil action'' were substituted for ``suits,'' ``suits at
law or in equity'' in view of Rule 2 of the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure.
Numerous changes were made in arrangement and phraseology.
Amendments
1979--Pub. L. 96-170 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a)
and added subsec. (b).
1957--Pub. L. 85-315 inserted ``and elective franchise'' in section
catchline and added par. (4).
1954--Act Sept. 3, 1954, substituted ``section 1985 of Title 42''
for ``section 47 of Title 8'' wherever appearing.
Effective Date of 1979 Amendment
Section 3 of Pub. L. 96-170 provided that: ``The amendments made by
this Act [amending this section and section 1983 of Title 42, The Public
Health and Welfare] shall apply with respect to any deprivation of
rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws
occurring after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 29, 1979].''
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 654 of this title.
