Tashima Williams v. The Hanover Housing Authority

LEVIN H. CAMPBELL, Senior Circuit Judge.

At issue in this appeal is whether the plaintiffs in an action they brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 1 are entitled to recover attorneys’ fees under 42 U.S.C. § 1988. 2 In the course of plaintiffs’ § 1983 action, the district court determined an underlying state law issue in plaintiffs’ favor. Because federal and state officials thereupon accepted the district court’s interpretation — reversing a former interpretation challenged by plaintiffs — the § 1983 action became moot. The district court denied attorneys’ fees, ruling that fees under § 1988 were…