Private rights

In the United States, a private right is one that a private citizen can vindicate in court. Compare public rights. There must be a private right for a citizen to have a claim. To have a private right of action, a citizen must be able to show that He/she has "sustained or is immediately in danger of sustaining some direct injury" and not that He/she "suffers in some indefinite way in common with people generally." Frothingham v. Mellon, 262 U.S. 447, 488 (1923). a distinction between criminal rights and "private rights," arguing that restrictions against ex post facto laws were not designed to protect citizens' contract rights.

References

• Black's Law Dictionary
• Frothingham v. Mellon, 262 U.S. 447
• Hart & Weschler's Federal Courts and the Federal Court System, 5th ed. (2003)