Rodriguez v. Cook County, Ill.

EASTERBROOK, Chief Judge.

A jury convicted Angel Rodriguez of murder, but the state’s appellate court reversed after concluding that the evidence was insufficient. People v. Rodriguez, 312 Ill.App.3d 920, 245 Ill.Dec. 613, 728 N.E.2d 695 (2000). He then filed a federal suit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, accusing two police officers of violating his constitutional rights by unduly influencing a witness to identify him as the killer. The district judge granted judgment in favor of one officer as a matter of law and submitted the claim against the second (plus the City of Chicago) to a jury, which…