George Alvarez v. City of Brownsville, Texas
DueProcess JusticiabilityDoctri
Whether due process requires the government to disclose exculpatory evidence before entering a plea agreement with a criminal defendant
question presented is whether due process requires the government to disclose exculpatory evidence before entering a plea agreement with a criminal defendant. 2. Three essential elements must be established for a municipality to face §1983 liability. There must be: (1) a policy maker; (2) an official policy; and (8) a violation of a constitutional right whose “moving force” is the policy or custom. Monell v Dep’ of Soc. Serus., 436 U.S. 658, 694 (1978). The Court of Appeals held a) that the City’s existing nondisclosure policy was not the cause of the nondisclosure of exculpatory evidence and b) the nondisclosure policy was not promulgated with deliberate indifference because said policy was not a municipal requirement. The question presented is whether a ruling that no causation or deliberate indifference can be found where municipal actors “could have” hypothetically chosen not to follow City policy impermissibly elevates the § 1983 municipal liability causation and deliberate indifference standards.