Civil Rights Litigation
Susan Chana Lask is a civil rights and appellate attorney with more than three decades of experience litigating constitutional cases in state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Her practice centers on shaping constitutional law, imposing limits on government power, and establishing precedent in federal appellate courts.
Ms. Lask has served as Counsel of Record and appeared before the United States Supreme Court, has argued and briefed cases that changed federal circuit precedent, and has litigated
civil rights matters involving unlawful detention practices, discrimination under
federal civil rights statutes, police misconduct, First Amendment violations, and
municipal liability under Monell.
Some of her cases can be seen at Appeals & U.S. Supreme Court . Ms. Lask’s current federal civil rights andSecond Amendment action challenging prolonged delays in New York City’s firearms licensing process is documented at Federal Civil Rights Action – NYPD Licensing Delays
Selected Civil Rights and Constitutional Matters
U.S. Supreme Court Civil Rights Litigation
Ms. Lask served as Counsel of Record in Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of the County of Burlington, 566 U.S. 318 (2012), a civil rights action brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 challenging the constitutionality of blanket strip-search policies applied to individuals arrested for minor offenses.
Ms. Lask took the case to the United States Supreme Court and addressed the scope of
Fourth Amendment protections in custodial settings, placing limits on how prisons may justify invasive searches absent individualized suspicion. Ms. Lask’s successful litigation strategy and investigation lead to her winning a summary judgment ruling in the Federal district court and became a nationally significant constitutional case defining the balance between institutional security and individual dignity.
Related:
Winning Cases |
Supreme Court Practice
Second Circuit Civil Rights and Title VII Precedent
Ms. Lask represented the plaintiff-appellant in Christiansen v. Omnicom Group, Inc.,
decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on March 27, 2017. The case addressed the scope of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the viability of discrimination claims based on gender stereotyping.
Based on Ms. Lask’s legal arguments, the Second Circuit reversed longstanding limitations on Title VII claims, contributing to the evolution of federal employment discrimination law. The decision is widely cited as a turning point in the Second Circuit’s treatment of gender-based discrimination claims.
Related:
Winning Cases
Police Misconduct and Excessive Force Under § 1983
Ms. Lask has litigated civil rights cases involving unlawful police conduct, including excessive-force claims brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. These matters have required careful factual development and constitutional analysis of Fourth Amendment standards governing police encounters.
Ms. Lask represented the plaintiff in Gary S. Wade v. State Trooper Michael Colaner, Civ. Action No. 06-3715 (D.N.J.), a civil rights action alleging excessive force by state troopers against Wade, who was a police officer. The matter reflects her decades of experience litigating police misconduct cases in state and federal courts.
First Amendment Litigation and Municipal Liability
Ms. Lask has pursued civil rights claims asserting violations of the First Amendment,
including cases implicating retaliation, suppression of protected speech, and
municipal liability under Monell v. Department of Social Services.
On October 10, 2023, Ms. Lask filed a complaint entitled Joan Sample v. City of New York, Animal Care and Control of New York City, Inc. et al, Case No. 1:23-cv-08906 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 10, 2023) in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. It asserts civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 based on alleged violations of the First Amendment and related constitutional protections arising from the conduct of the New York City Animal Care and Control and associated officials. The action pleads First Amendment and Monell theories arising from alleged suppression of public criticism and government oversight activities and seeks to hold municipal actors accountable for policies and practices that infringe protected speech.
Federal Civil Rights Action Challenging NYPD Firearms Licensing Delays
Ms. Lask represents the plaintiff in DiSalvo et al. v. City of New York et al., No. 26-cv-274, filed on January 16, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The complaint names law-abiding New York City residents seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against the City of New York for unconstitutional delays in handgun licensing that prevents law-abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights.