Craig v. Martin

In its amicus brief filed in Craig v. Martin with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Institute for Justice (IJ) argues that a Fort Worth Police Officer’s use of excessive force against a woman and her daughters during a 2016 arrest violated their clearly established Fourth Amendment rights, and the district court correctly denied Martin qualified immunity.

The brief contends that Martin’s actions—in particular, painfully manipulating one of the daughter's handcuffs—were obviously unconstitutional, especially given video evidence showing the family posed no threat during a neighborhood dispute. Urging the Fifth Circuit to affirm the denial of qualified immunity, the brief emphasizes the need to hold officers accountable for excessive force to protect constitutional rights and public trust in law enforcement.