The Supreme Court turned away several appeals that asked the justices to revisit a legal doctrine that often provides immunity from lawsuits to police officers accused of abuse
The Supreme Court on Monday turned away several appeals that asked the justices to revisit a legal doctrine that often provides immunity from lawsuits to police officers accused of abuse.
The court’s move will keep it on the sidelines of a brewing national debate over the leeway law enforcement enjoys to treat suspects and others without regard to their constitutional rights. The "qualified immunity" approach, which dates back to a Supreme Court ruling in 1967, is designed to protect officials from the threat of litigation and being second-guessed by courts for most law-enforcement actions.
To succeed with allegations of police abuse, a victim must show not only that their rights were violated, but that the officers’ actions at the time had been “clearly established” as unconstitutional within the jurisdiction where they occurred. Democrats are proposing to roll back qualified immunity--and some conservatives have voiced support--though the White House calls the proposal a non-starter for President Trump.
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