No. 25-1348October Term 2025Before Arguments
Patrick Harrington, Individually and as Prosecutor of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, et al., Petitioners v. Randall Martin
from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Case status
- Current stage
- Before Arguments
- Latest event
- Accepted by the Court
- Decision timing
- No window until argument is scheduled.
- What it's about
from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Question presented
Whether the decision below conflicts with this Court’s clear, repeated admonitions that lower courts must define clearly established rights with specificity and adhere to the principle of party presentation.
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit / Accepted by the Court
- Area
Supreme Court case awaiting argument
Timing
Expected by late June 2026, if argued this term
The Court granted review but has not yet scheduled oral argument. Once argued, the median case reaches a decision in 94 days. Nearly all cases are decided by the end of the term in which they are argued.
Briefing
What it's about
After deputy sheriff Randall Martin resigned under a written deal, two Indiana prosecutors sent a disclosure to one of his prospective law-enforcement employers saying he had used excessive force and provided false, misleading, or improper information. Martin sued, and the Supreme Court is being asked whether the Seventh Circuit handled qualified immunity and the parties' arguments the way past Court cases require.
Argument
The case is still at the petition stage, and no oral argument is scheduled. The petition says the lower court defined the claimed right too generally and did not stick to the parties' presentation.
Impact
The case could shape when prosecutors and other officials get qualified immunity (protection from damages suits unless the law was clearly established). For example, it could affect whether an officer who loses a job opportunity after a government disclosure can keep suing for money damages.
What is Patrick Harrington v. Martin about?
It asks whether lower courts were too loose in letting Randall Martin sue two prosecutors over disclosures sent to a prospective employer. The petition says the Seventh Circuit defined the right too generally and strayed from the parties' arguments.
Who could be affected if the Court hears Harrington v. Martin?
Prosecutors, police officers, and other public employees could feel the impact. The case could change when officials are shielded from damages suits and when job-related disclosures can trigger litigation.
What happens next in Patrick Harrington v. Martin?
The Court must decide whether to hear the case. No oral argument is scheduled yet, and there is no clear decision window.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 23, 2026
- Method
- Methodology