Ashcroft v. Iqbal

**Ashcroft v. Iqbal** (2009) is a significant U.S. Supreme Court case that addressed the standards for pleading in federal lawsuits. The Court ruled that a complaint must contain enough factual detail to show a plausible claim, rather than just a possible one. The case involved Javaid Iqbal, a Pakistani man detained after 9/11, who alleged discrimination by officials. The Court emphasized that bare assertions without supporting facts do not suffice to move forward in court, thereby reinforcing a higher threshold for claims against high-ranking officials and shaping how legal cases are approached in federal courts.