Henry Dorsey v. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

AINSWORTH, Circuit Judge:

This appeal raises the question whether tenure rights as a city police officer, which are protected by the Louisiana Constitution in Article 14, can be vindicated in an action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

Accepting the “well-pleaded facts as the hypothesis for decision,” Collins v. Hardyman, 341 U.S. 651, 652, 71 S.Ct. 937, 938, 95 L.Ed. 1253 (1951), the case can be stated briefly as follows: Appellant Dorsey was a member of the New Iberia, Louisiana, police force for twelve years until his dismissal by the police chief on April 25, 1967. The dismissal was precipitated by…