Opinion ID: 78253
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: DISCUSSION.Standing

Text: The district court erred in addressing the merits of Amnesty's claim and Defendants' qualified immunity without first assuring itself that Amnesty had standing to bring this suit. A federal court not only has the power but also the obligation at any time to inquire into jurisdiction whenever the possibility that jurisdiction does not exist arises. Johansen v. Combustion Eng'g, Inc., 170 F.3d 1320, 1328 n. 4 (11th Cir.1999). Standing is a threshold jurisdictional question which must be addressed prior to and independent of the merits of a party's claims. Bochese v. Town of Ponce Inlet, 405 F.3d 964, 974 (11th Cir.2005). The standing inquiry is an essential and unchanging part of the case-or-controversy requirement of Article III of the United States Constitution. Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555, 560, 112 S.Ct. 2130, 119 L.Ed.2d 351 (1992). To have standing, a plaintiff must establish (1) an injury in fact, which is concrete and particularized and actual or imminent; (2) a causal connection between the injury and the causal conduct; and (3) a substantial likelihood that a favorable decision will redress the injury. Granite State Outdoor Adver. v. City of Clearwater, Fla., 351 F.3d 1112, 1116 (11th Cir.2003) (citing Bennett v. Spear, 520 U.S. 154, 167, 117 S.Ct. 1154, 137 L.Ed.2d 281 (1997)). The party invoking federal jurisdiction  in this case, Amnesty  bears the burden of establishing standing. Lujan, 504 U.S. at 561, 112 S.Ct. 2130. Each element of standing must be supported in the same manner as any other matter on which the plaintiff bears the burden of proof. Tanner Adver. Group LLC v. Fayette County, Ga., 451 F.3d 777, 791 (11th Cir.2006). At the pleading stage, general factual allegations of injury resulting from the defendant's conduct may suffice, for on a motion to dismiss we presume that general allegations embrace those specific facts that are necessary to support the claim. Lujan, 504 U.S. at 561, 112 S.Ct. 2130. Other than the asserted violations of First Amendment rights, Amnesty has alleged no injury-in-fact to either itself or its members. Amnesty's complaint does not describe any injury flowing from the constitutional violations. Amnesty appears to argue on appeal that this court should infer an injury to Amnesty's ability to pressure countries to release political prisoners from Amnesty's inability to have a successful protest rally on November 20, 2003, but this injury is not set forth in the complaint. The complaint provides the mission statement of the organization and discusses the alleged violation of constitutional rights, but fails to describe a link explaining how the violations caused any injury. It is not enough that the plaintiff's complaint sets forth facts from which we could imagine an injury sufficient to satisfy Article III's standing requirements, since we should not speculate concerning the existence of standing, nor should we imagine or piece together an injury sufficient to give plaintiff standing when it has demonstrated none. Bochese, 405 F.3d at 976 (internal quotation and alteration omitted). Because Amnesty failed to allege an injury-in-fact, it lacks standing to bring a § 1983 claim for compensatory damages. Section 1983, however, allows for the recovery of nominal damages where the plaintiff's constitutional rights were violated but the violation did not result in any injury giving rise to compensatory damages. Slicker v. Jackson, 215 F.3d 1225, 1227 (11th Cir.2000); see also Al-Amin v. Smith, 511 F.3d 1317, 1335 (11th Cir.2008) (Our precedent ... recognizes the award of nominal damages for violations of the fundamental constitutional right to free speech absent any actual injury.). By alleging that its First and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated, Amnesty has established standing to bring a § 1983 claim for nominal damages even without alleging a specific injury flowing from the violations. See Covenant Media of South Carolina, LLC v. City of North Charleston, 493 F.3d 421, 428 (4th Cir. 2007) (holding that the plaintiff had suffered an injury sufficient to establish standing where an unconstitutional application of law created a claim redressable at least by nominal damages). [3] Although Amnesty alleged sufficient facts to support its claims for nominal damages, there remain a few questions as to its standing. Amnesty asserted claims on two grounds: on behalf of its members and in its own capacity as a organization. We, however, conclude that Amnesty established standing only on the claim brought on its own behalf. Amnesty's complaint states that its own First Amendment rights were violated because it was unable to have its message heard, ... it was unable to distribute literature to the people, it was unable to obtain media coverage of its rally/demonstration... and it was unable to speak to representatives of the media. These statements allege violations of Amnesty's own constitutional rights, and establish Amnesty's standing to bring a § 1983 claim for itself. See generally Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana of Boca Raton, Inc. v. Broward County, 450 F.3d 1295, 1305-06 (11th Cir.2006) (noting that corporations and organizations have standing to sue under § 1983 for violations of their own First Amendment rights). Regarding Amnesty's representational standing, Amnesty's complaint states that Amnesty members were prevented from distributing literature, from signing up new members, from obtaining media coverage, and from passing through the police cordon to gather an audience. It is clear that an organization whose members are injured may represent those members in a proceeding for judicial review. Sierra Club v. Morton, 405 U.S. 727, 739, 92 S.Ct. 1361, 31 L.Ed.2d 636 (1972). The Supreme Court has put limits, however, on the right of organizations to represent its injured members in litigation. The Court recognized that an association has standing to bring suit on behalf of its members when: (a) its members would otherwise have standing to sue in their own right; (b) the interests it seeks to protect are germane to the organization's purpose; and (c) neither the claim asserted nor the relief requested requires the participation of individual members in the lawsuit. Hunt v. Wash. State Apple Adver. Comm'n, 432 U.S. 333, 343, 97 S.Ct. 2434, 53 L.Ed.2d 383 (1977). For the same reasons that Amnesty has standing to bring this claim on its own behalf for the violation of its own First Amendment rights, we conclude that those Amnesty members present at the attempted demonstration on November 20, 2003 would have standing to bring claims for the alleged violations of their rights that day. The complaint provides that Amnesty is involved in securing the release of political prisoners throughout the world through rallies, demonstrations, letter writing, and other means. The protection of Amnesty members' rights to protest and distribute literature is clearly germane to this purpose. It is less clear whether this suit meets the third prong: whether it requires the participation of individual members in the lawsuit. Amnesty has not discussed this prong; it has provided no explanation or reasons why the members are not needed. Because Amnesty bears the burden of proof on standing, Lujan, 504 U.S. at 561, 112 S.Ct. 2130, we must therefore hold that Amnesty has not established standing to sue on behalf of its members. [4]