Supreme Court will consider whether to revisit its 50-year-old doctrine of 'qualified immunity' for law enforcement officers, which has shielded cops from civil lawsuits even in cases where a citizen's rights have been violated.
warned that qualified immunity had become an"absolute shield" for law enforcement,"gutting the deterrent effect of the Fourth Amendment."
Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States mingles after delivering a keynote address during a dedication of Georgia's new Nathan Deal Judicial Center, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, in Atlanta. Regardless of the outcome in those criminal cases, the Floyd family may also choose to seek civil damages against the officers.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and George Floyd's son, Quincy Mason Floyd, react as they visit the site where George Floyd was taken into police custody, in Minneapolis, June 3, 2020. Legal immunity for officers was originally devised out of concern about legal harassment and potential for personal bankruptcies. Some experts have also warned about the erosion of a deterrent effect from police if they became hesitant about enforcing certain laws because of potential legal liability."You're trying to strike a balance," said Chris Walker, law professor at The Ohio State University, who has offered a qualified defense of the doctrine.
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