Rights Litigation Cases

Following are three of our most signficant cases under the Rights Litigation Project.

City of Castle Rock, Colorado v. Jessica Gonzales

United States Supreme Court - 2005 

This case was the first domestic violence case to ever reach the Supreme Court.  It concerned the constitutionality of police failure to enforce a protection order, resulting in the murders of three girls. - more

Hammon v. Indiana; Davis v. Washington

United States Supreme Court - 2006

This case addresses the critically important question of what types of evidence may be used in criminal prosecutions of batterers. - more

Giles v. California

United States Supreme Court - 2008

The case addresses the extremely important issue of "forfeiture by wrongdoing" in domestic homicide prosecutions. The outcome of this case will be critically important for the future prosecution of domestic violence and domestic homicides, because it will determine to what extent the State may introduce evidence of victims' past statements describing the defendant's abuse in prosecutions for homicide (and potentially, domestic violence).    -more