Thompson v. Clark, 596 U.S. ___ (2022), was a United States Supreme Court case concerning whether a plaintiff suing for malicious prosecution must show that they were affirmatively exonerated of committing the alleged crime.

Larry Thompson, a Navy veteran and postal worker, lived with his fiancée and newborn daughter in an apartment in Brooklyn, New York.

[2] During the October 12, 2021, oral argument, the justices posed a series of hypotheticals involving the fictional character of Jean Valjean and the mythological centaur.

[4] Justice Alito dissented from the majority's holding, arguing that Court had improperly combined precedent from different legal contexts in order to reach its conclusion.

[4] Immediate media reaction to the Court's decision portrayed the ruling as victory for plaintiffs asserting civil rights claims against law enforcement officers.