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.
In two opinions issued Monday, the Court gave qualified immunity to several police officers accused of violating the Constitution.
It was unconstitutional to charge Jenna Holm with manslaughter. But the state wanted to protect its own.
No accountability for government corruption.
"It gives cities a protection that ordinary citizens never have."
Qualified immunity "does not protect an officer who inflicts deadly force on a person who is only a threat to himself."
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed S.B. 2 into law, despite some objections from police unions.
Dillon Shane Webb will thus not be able to sue for the alleged violation of his free speech rights.
The legal doctrine continues to render juries irrelevant.
It's almost impossible to hold federal officers to account.
A federal court admitted the officers violated the man's rights. It doesn't matter.
Whether or not this constitutes meaningful accountability is up for debate.
Former District Attorney Jackie Johnson may face accountability for her official actions in the Ahmaud Arbery investigation.
Supporting the cause because your "side" went down is not a principled position.
Lawmakers have reportedly taken any changes to qualified immunity off the table.
Ricky Kidd wants accountability.
The most powerful officers are held to the lowest standard of accountability.
Yet under qualified immunity, it's incredibly difficult for the public to sue police.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit provides a useful reminder that qualified immunity is not just for police officers.
Three of the officers were denied qualified immunity, but accountability is a long way off.
"If the police don't want to be filmed or observed, they should get out of the public service field."
Police unions so often protect their own—at the expense of the public.
The fight over qualified immunity divides "conservative" judges on the 5th Circuit.
The Court has "failed to justify our enacted policy," he wrote.
He repeats his concern that QI doctrine rests on "shaky ground" and imposes a "one-size-fits-all doctrine" that is "an odd fit for many cases," including those involving university administrators.
Salaythis Melvin's family says they want justice.
The officers might receive qualified immunity, however.
"In what legal universe is it not even plausibly unreasonable to knowingly immolate someone?" asks dissenting judge
Once again, it shows just how hard it is to hold bad officers accountable.
"In lower courts' view, [a] federal badge now equals absolute immunity."
But the appeals court wasn't having it.
There will be no justice for Onree Norris.
Polling shows a sharp partisan divide on the issue, but it also suggests that compromise might be possible.
The announcement comes days after an exclusive report from Reason attracted national attention to the case.
The Supreme Court will soon announce if it'll consider an appeal.
A study of civil rights cases found that "police officers are virtually always indemnified" by their employers.
The case is an indictment on just how hard it is to get accountability when the government violates your rights.
The decision will make it even more difficult for victims to hold the government accountable when their rights are violated.
The Supreme Court has a chance to fix this. The stakes are high.
Cops say they can't function without qualified immunity, while their supporters on the right say abolishing it would be a step toward defunding the police. Neither claim is true.
The victim will now have no right to argue his case before a jury in civil court.
If the officer succeeds, the victim will not be allowed to sue on those claims.
The boy was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment.
Up for debate was whether or not it was "clearly established" that officers cannot apply injurious force to a subject who isn't resisting.
"We need a Green New Deal for Public Housing," says Rep. Jamaal Bowman. "We need a Green New Deal for Cities…and we need a Green New Deal for Public Schools."
The doctrine shields state actors from accountability.
The GOP has resisted reining in the doctrine. That might change.
