Supreme Court Makes It Effectively Impossible To Sue Federal Cops, Smashing a 51-Year-Old Precedent
A federal badge will now serve as an impenetrable shield against civil liability.
Qualified Immunity
Qualifying Qualified Immunity: The Cases in Which the Fair Notice Rationale Clearly Supports …
and clearly does not support qualified immunity.
Qualifying Qualified Immunity: Why Constitutional Liability Is Generally Less Fair …
than other kinds of civil liability.
He Was Targeted by Police for His Political Speech. Now, He's Suing.
William Fambrough supported the "wrong" mayoral candidate, so East Cleveland law enforcement destroyed his van and hit him with petty prosecutions.
SCOTUS Lets Tony Timpa's Family Pursue Claims Against Cops Who Killed Him While Supposedly Trying To Help Him
The lawsuit over Timpa's deadly prone restraint, initially blocked by qualified immunity, was revived by the 5th Circuit.
He Was Arrested for Criticizing the Cops. A Federal Court Says He Can Sue.
Jerry Rogers Jr. complained that police hadn't solved a murder yet—and found himself in a jail cell.
He Was Sentenced to Death After Law Enforcement Fabricated Evidence. A Federal Court Says He Can Sue.
A conservative judge expressed skepticism at the panel's conclusion before issuing a strong rebuke of prosecutorial immunity.
Cops Who Arrested Man Over Fake Facebook Page Get Qualified Immunity
Anthony Novak's arrest and subsequent lawsuit set up a debate around overcriminalization and free speech.
Cop Who Arrested High Schooler on 'Terrorizing' Charges for Class Joke Gets Qualified Immunity
A judge's blistering dissent is a reminder that this issue does not have to be a partisan one.
City Won't Pay $6 Million Awarded to Man Wrongfully Imprisoned for Decades
Plus: how a pesticide ban hurt Sri Lanka, how Japanese reality TV reveals deficiencies in American parenting, and more...
For 20 Years, This Prosecutor Had a Secret Job Working For the Judges Who'd Decide His Cases
One of Ralph Petty's victims is trying to hold him accountable, but she will have to overcome prosecutorial immunity.
The Supreme Court Says You Can Sue Cops Who Frame You on False Charges
The previous standard barring such lawsuits made “little sense," wrote Justice Brett Kavanaugh for the majority.
A Federal Judge Says a Victim of Retaliatory Prosecution Can Sue a Cop Who Treated Criticism As a Crime
An Arkansas police officer used trumped-up charges to punish a man who criticized him for violating the Constitution.
He Spent 28 Years Behind Bars for a Murder He Didn't Commit and Died Before Seeing Justice
The police officers who allegedly framed William Virgil were denied qualified immunity. But they're still trying to delay a trial.
Louisiana Supreme Court Allows Police Officer's Lawsuit Against Black Lives Matter Organizer
DeRay Mckesson didn’t cause or encourage violence against police in Baton Rouge in 2016. The court says he can still be held responsible.
The 5th Circuit Approves a Cop's Violent Response to a Dispute Over a 7-Year-Old's Littering
The officer used a "pain compliance maneuver" to force information from the boy's sister, who was recording the encounter.
An Off-Duty Cop Murdered His Ex-Wife. The California Highway Patrol Ignored the Red Flags.
When cops don't police their own, the results can be deadly.
Arizona House Committee Approves Bill To Criminalize Filming Cops on the Job
"You'll have a bunch of people who plead to avoid trial or go broke trying to vindicate their rights."
Assessing the State of the Struggle to Reform Qualified Immunity
The Institute for Justice offers a generally pessimistic appraisal of the situation under state law, but some optimism about prospects in the Supreme Court.
Appeals Court Rules Ohio Cops Didn't Have Cause To Arrest Man Wearing 'Fuck the Police' Shirt
The sheriff's deputies are also not entitled to qualified immunity because the First Amendment right to offend police has been repeatedly upheld.
There Is Nothing 'Conservative' About Letting Police Violate Our Rights
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's support for qualified immunity is in opposition to the principles he says he stands for.
A Tiny Alabama Town Is Growing Its Police Force by Fining Everybody in Sight
Brookside officers have been accused of fabricating violations and are being sued.
Her Husband Died After Police Hogtied Him for 90 Minutes. Could She Ever Hold Them Accountable?
Kelli Goode's civil suit is a case study in how difficult it can be to get state actors to take responsibility when they allegedly infringe on someone's rights.
Tony Timpa Died After Cops Kneeled on His Back and Joked About It. A Court Says His Family Can Sue.
The officers originally received qualified immunity, meaning Timpa's estate had no right to state their case before a jury.
In 2021, Qualified Immunity Reform Died a Slow, Painful Death
Despite bipartisan momentum at the federal level, Congress still couldn't get anything over the finish line.
Cops Held Two Innocent Boys at Gunpoint, Forced Them to Lie on the Ground, Handcuffed Them, and Searched Them. That's Fine, the 8th Circuit Said.
The Institute for Justice wants the Supreme Court to review the case—and to clarify the proper scope of "investigatory stops."
A SWAT Team Blew Up This Innocent Woman's House and Cost Her Over $50,000. The City Tried To Stop Her From Suing.
A federal court wasn't having it.
Cops Thought Sand From Her Stress Ball Was Cocaine. She Spent Nearly 6 Months in Jail.
And now an appeals court has ruled the cops who arrested her aren't entitled to qualified immunity from her lawsuit.
Cop Kills 8-Year-Old Girl; Two Teens Charged With Her Murder
Fanta Bility's death has revived an under-the-radar debate about the doctrine of transferred intent.
Panel Discussion on Qualified Immunity Next Week
An online event hosted by the Harvard Federalist Society
A Cop Was Indicted for Homicide After Shooting a Fleeing Driver. He Still Got Qualified Immunity.
Bau Tran might go to jail for his conduct, but he will be insulated from having to face a jury in civil court.
After the DEA Stole $70,000 From This Filmmaker, He Got His Money Back, Plus a $15,000 Settlement
Keddins Etienne's experience shows that bullies who seize innocent people's property tend to back down when their victims put up a fight.
Cops Arrested Her for Exercising Her First Amendment Rights. They Got Qualified Immunity—but the Appeals Court Wasn't Having It.
"This is not just an obvious constitutional infringement—it's hard to imagine a more textbook violation of the First Amendment."
The Supreme Court Declines To Determine if You Have a First Amendment Right To Film the Police
Denver cops received qualified immunity after performing a warrantless search of a man’s tablet and trying to delete a video he took of them beating a suspect.
A Study of What Police Know About Court Decisions Exposes 'Qualified Immunity's Boldest Lie'
The Supreme Court's notion of "fair notice," which it says requires blocking many civil rights lawsuits, is based on a demonstrably false assumption.
Denied Treatment for His Cancer, This Kentucky Man Died in Prison After Vomiting Blood
In a lawsuit, Marc Crawford's widow says the state refused to give him his prescriptions and his chemotherapy.
Qualified Immunity Reform Stalls in the States - and in the Supreme Court
Recent Supreme Court rulings and developments in state legislatures have dashed hopes for a quick end to the pernicious doctrine that protects abusive law enforcement officials.
The Supreme Court Deals a Major Blow to Qualified Immunity Reform
In two opinions issued Monday, the Court gave qualified immunity to several police officers accused of violating the Constitution.
Judge: Police Can't Blame a Bystander for a Cop Killing Another Cop
It was unconstitutional to charge Jenna Holm with manslaughter. But the state wanted to protect its own.
A Louisiana Prosecutor Escapes Responsibility After Allegedly Covering Up Rape Allegations Against a Prison Official
No accountability for government corruption.
A Cop Killed an Innocent Man After a 'Swatting' Prank Call. The City Can't Be Sued.
"It gives cities a protection that ordinary citizens never have."
A Cop Killed a Suicidal Man and Got Qualified Immunity. Justice Sotomayor Isn't Happy About It.
Qualified immunity "does not protect an officer who inflicts deadly force on a person who is only a threat to himself."
Victims of Rights-Violating California Cops May Finally Get Justice in Court
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed S.B. 2 into law, despite some objections from police unions.
Cops Get Qualified Immunity After Jailing Florida Man for 'I Eat Ass' Bumper Sticker
Dillon Shane Webb will thus not be able to sue for the alleged violation of his free speech rights.
An Inmate Allegedly 'Leaking Blood All Over' Was Denied Medical Treatment for Hours. The Prison Guard Gets Qualified Immunity
The legal doctrine continues to render juries irrelevant.
The DHS Agent Who Tried To Kill Kevin Byrd Can't Be Sued—Because He Works for the Federal Government
It's almost impossible to hold federal officers to account.