COLOR OF LAW

color of law.The appearance or semblance, without the substance, of a legal right. • The term usu. implies a misuse of power made possible because the wrongdoer is clothed with the authority of the state. State action is synonymous with color of [state] law in the context of federal civil-rights statutes or criminal law. See STATE ACTION. [Cases: Civil Rights  1323. C.J.S. Civil Rights §§ 92–94.] [Blacks Law 8th]