City of Bossier City, Louisiana v. Richard Hershey

Bossier City is asking the Supreme Court to review when a city can be sued under federal civil-rights law for allegedly failing to train police officers on the First Amendment. Richard Hershey says that lack of training led officers to violate his right to peacefully hand out religious leaflets on a public sidewalk in a public park.

No oral argument is scheduled yet. Bossier City argues a city should not face liability based on one incident unless the risk from poor training was "patently obvious," while Hershey says the lack of First Amendment training predictably caused the violation.

The case could shape when cities face lawsuits after a single police encounter, instead of after a wider pattern of problems. That matters to people speaking in public places, like someone handing out religious leaflets in a park, and to local governments training officers.

The case asks when a city can be sued for allegedly failing to train police officers on the First Amendment. Hershey says that failure led officers to stop peaceful religious leaflet distribution in a public park.

Cities, police departments, and people speaking in public places could be affected. The case could change how much training cities provide and how hard it is to sue after one incident.

The justices will decide whether to grant review (agree to hear the case) or take another scheduling step. No oral argument is scheduled yet.