Attorney Profile

John R. Williams has dedicated his entire career to defending those who have been accused of crimes and whose civil rights have been violated by police misconduct.  Mr. Williams's first major criminal defense case was as one of the defense attorneys in the murder prosecution of the leaders of the Black Panther Party.  After he helped procure their acquittal in the summer of 1971, he joined two other Black Panther Party lawyers and formed New Haven's first public interest law firm, which continues today as John R. Williams and Associates, LLC.

Today, Mr. Williams is a pioneer for civil rights in Connecticut, primarily in situations of police misconduct.  He and his associates have argued many civil rights police misconduct and Section 1983 of the 1871 Civil Rights Act appeals cases in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and he lectures and writes extensively in this area.  One of his Section 1983 cases, Porter v. Nussle, even reached the United States Supreme Court.  Mr. Williams also focuses much of his practice on defending criminal defendants at both trial and appeal.

Additionally, Mr. Williams is proud of his involvement as an advocate for legislative change.  Throughout his career, he has made a priority of reshaping and democratizing the Connecticut jury system.  He was the first lawyer, in 1976, to challenge in Connecticut federal court the common practice of prosecutors arbitrarily removing minorities from juries in criminal cases. 

Education

 

Admissions

Professional Associations and Memberships

Published Works

  • Annual Section 1983 Litigation Seminar and Handbook, Practising Law Institute, 1984-Present
  • False Arrest, Malicious Prosecution, and Abuse of Process in & 1983 Litigation, 20 Touro L. Rev. 705, 2004
  • Beyond Police Misconduct and False Arrest, Expanding the Scope of 42 U.S.C. & 1983 Litigation, VIII Suffolk Journal of Trial & Appellate Advocacy 39, 2003
  • Punitive Damages in Section 1983 Actions, 17 Touro L. Rev. 575, 2001
  • Police Misconduct â?? A Plaintiff's Point of View, 16 Touro L. Rev. 933, 2000
  • Unreasonable Force Seminar and Handbook, Practising Law Institute, 1992-94, 1998-2001
  • "The Ben Miller Frame-Up," Convicting the Innocent, Connery, Ed., Brookline Books, 1996
  • Trial Practice, Yale Law School, 1980-1990
  • "A Practitioner's Guide to Representing Plaintiffs in Section 1983 Litigation," Civil Rights Litigation and Attorney Fees, Clark Boardman Co., Vol. 4, 1988
  • Police Misconduct Workshop (With Prof. Thomas Emerson & Atty. Michael Avery), Yale Law School, 1971 - 1974
  • The Constitutionality of Basic Protection, 1 Conn. L. Rev. 44, 1968

Classes/Seminars Taught

  • Civil Rights Litigation on Behalf of Plaintiffs, New York State Bar Association, 2002
  • Malicious Prosecution Litigation, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 2001
  • Section 1983 Litigation, Federal Judicial Center, 2000
  • Federal Civil Rights Litigation, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, 1992
  • Unreasonable Force Seminar and Handbook, Practising Law Institute, 1998-2001
  • Unreasonable Force Seminar and Handbook, Practising Law Institute, 1992-1994
  • Municipal Liability from the Plaintiff's Perspective, Defense Research Institute, 1988-1992
  • Trial Practice, Yale Law School, 1980-1990
  • Civil Liability of Law Enforcement Officers, Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association, 1988
  • Annual Section 1983 Litigation Seminar and Handbook, Practising Law Institute, 1984
  • Police Misconduct Litigation, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, 1982
  • Police Misconduct Workshop (With Prof. Thomas Emerson & Atty. Michael Avery), Yale Law School, 1971-1974

Representative Cases

  • Porter v. Nussle, 534 U.S. 516 (2002)
  • Pitchell v. Callan, 13 F.3d 545 (2d Cir. 1994)
  • Cartier v. Lussier, 955 F.2d 841 (2d Cir. 1992)
  • Mozzochi v. Borden, 959 F.2d 1174 (2d Cir. 1992)
  • Ruggiero v. Krzeminski, 928 F.2d 558 (2d Cir. 1991)
  • Liscio v. Warren, 901 F.2d 274 (2d Cir. 1990)
  • Warren v. Dwyer, 906 F.2d 70 (2d Cir. 1990)
  • Dobosz v. Walsh, 892 F.2d 1135 (2d Cir. 1989)
  • Miller v. Lovett, 879 F.2d 1066 (2d Cir. 1989)
  • Musso v. Hourigan, 836 F.2d 736 (2d Cir. 1988)
  • O'Neill v. Krzeminski, 839 F.2d 9 (2d Cir. 1988)
  • Dodd v. City of Norwich, 827 F.2d 1 (2d Cir. 1987)
  • Alston v. Manson and Haskins v. Manson, 791 F.2d 255 (2d Cir. 1986)
  • Gagnon v. Ball, 696 F.2d 17 (2d Cir. 1982)
  • United States v. Newman, 549 F.2d 240 (2d Cir. 1977)
  • Miller v. Angliker, 848 F.2d 1312 (2d Cir.)
  • Riccio v. New Haven Board of Education, 467 F. Supp. 2d 219 (D. Conn. 2006)
  • Gavlak v. Town of Somers, 267 F. Sup. 2d 214 (D. Conn. 2003)
  • Zavatsky v. Anderson, 130 F. Supp. 2d 349 (D. Conn. 2001)
  • Reed v. Town of Branford, 949 F. Supp. 87 (D. Conn. 1996)
  • Pouncey v. Ryan, 396 F. Supp. 126 (D. Conn. 1975)
  • Lopes v. Farmer, 286 Conn. 384, 944 A.2d 921 (2008)
  • Bhatia v. Debek, 287 Conn. 397, 948 A.2d 1009 (2008)
  • Bell v. Board of Education, 55 Conn. App. 400, 739 A.2d 321 (1999)
  • Cantoni v. Xerox Corp., 251 Conn. 153, 740 A.2d 796 (1999)
  • Drumm v. Brown, 245 Conn. 657, 716 A.2d 50 (1998)
  • State v. LaPointe, 237 Conn. 694, 678 A.2d 942 (1996)
  • Delahunty v. Massachusetts Mutual Life Ins. Co., et al., 236 Conn. 582, 674 A.2d 1290 (1996)
  • State v. Joyce, 229 Conn. 10, 639 A.2d 1007 (1994)
  • In re Alexander V., 223 Conn. 557, 613 A.2d 780 (1992)
  • DeLaurentis v. City of New Haven, 220 Conn. 225, 597 A.2d 807 (1991)
  • Davis v. Margolis, 215 Conn. 408, 576 A.2d 489 (1990)
  • State v. Roberson, 173 Conn. 102, 376 A.2d 1087 (1977)
  • State v. Anthony, 172 Conn. 172, 374 A.2d 156 (1976)
  • State v. Anonymous (1976-3), rev'd State v. Rao, 171 Conn. 600, 370 A.2d 1310 (1976)
  • DeLeo v. Nusbaum, 263 Conn. 588 (2003)
  • Doe ex rel. A.N. v. East Haven Board of Education, 430 F. Supp. 2d 54
  • Doe ex rel. Doe v. Derby Board of Education, 451 F. Supp. 2d 438
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