42 U.S.C. 1983
Section 1983 of Title 42 of the United States Code provides, in part:
§ 1983. Civil action for deprivation of rights
“Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper
proceeding for redress,… “
Under this federal statute, a person who is deprived of their rights under the Constitution by someone acting under “color of law” (federal, state, or local) can bring a federal cause of action for damages and other relief. The statute provides a right of redress for parties deprived of constitutional rights, privileges, and immunities by an official's abuse of his or her governmental position.
Elements of a Cause of Action
Generally speaking, there are three elements required to bring an action under 42 U.S.C. 1983. The plaintiff must prove the following:
1) He or she was deprived of a specific right, privilege, or immunity secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States;
2) The alleged deprivation was committed under color of state law; and
3) The deprivation was the proximate cause of injuries suffered by the plaintiff.
There must be a causal connection between the defendant’s action and the alleged injury. This means that harm experienced by the plaintiff must be the result of an action on the part of the governmental entity or its agent.
Who can be sued?
Anyone acting under “color of law” can be sued under this statute. Local governments, municipal corporations, and school boards can all be subject to liability under 42 U.S.C. 1983, but only if their policies or procedures were the
proximate cause of the Constitutional deprivation and the injury alleged.
Generally, in the absence of a “policy claim”, individuals employed by federal, state or local government are the parties named as defendants. They are sued individually for actions they took in their official capacity. In some cases, private citizens can become liable in a “1983 action”, if they acted in concert with public officials to deprive someone of their Constitutional rights.
Qualified Immunity
An affirmative defense of qualified immunity is available to defendants who acted under circumstances where a reasonable official may not have understood that the conduct alleged was illegal. It is not necessary to show
that the defendant officer was acting in bad faith and, indeed, the officer’s subjective intentions, such as a good faith belief that what he was doing was lawful, are irrelevant. To defeat qualified immunity, it is necessary for the
plaintiff to show that, given the facts and circumstances alleged, any reasonable officer would have known that the conduct complained of violated well-established law at the time of the incident.
Damages
A victim may recover compensatory damages, injunctive relief, and (except in the case of municipal defendants) punitive damages. The prevailing plaintiff can also recover the costs of the litigation and reasonable attorneys fees.
Laws Against Criminal Uses of Electromagnetic Energy Weapons
Comments
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode50/usc_sec_50_00001805...
"It isn't legal for a private individual, a company or a corporation to use electronic harassment on you. The military and law enforcement, however, can use non-lethal weapons (see USC Title 50 Chapter 32 Section 1520a).
Further, testing of electronic equipment; discovering unauthorized electronic surveillance; training of intelligence personnel by officers the United States is allowed.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/50/1805.html
Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, officers, employees, or agents of the United States are authorized in the normal course of their official duties to conduct electronic surveillance not targeted against the communications of any particular person or persons, under procedures approved by the Attorney General."
United States Code: Title 50,1805. Issuance of order | LII / Legal