Bailey v. Ramos
One of many examples of how far the Fifth Circuit will bend over backwards to find that officer could have reasonably believed he was acting lawfully with respect to an arrest and use of force, even though he wasn’t.
Qualified Immunity
Locke v. County of Hubbard, et al.
In this brief, NPAP urges the Court to reverse the District Court’s grant of qualified immunity to Defendants-Appellees. The District Court’s opinion granting qualified immunity to Defendants- Appellees Aukes and Parks adopted far too restrictive a definition of “clearly established law” and should be reversed.
2024: Expanding Accountability
Goal
We want to:
- Make it easier for victims of police violence to sue without the burden of qualified immunity;
- limit or eliminate Law Enforcement Officer Bills of Rights (LEOBOR).
Tennessee HB 1237
Creates right of action for violations of rights by law enforcement under Tennessee Constitution, eliminates QI.
New York S182/A710
Creates private right of action under state constitution and eliminates QI for all government employees.
New Jersey S4260
Establishes certain restrictions on qualified immunity defense for public employees.
New Hampshire HB 1640
Creates civil rights cause of action and eliminates qualified immunity as well as common law immunities.
Michael Brown and Lezley McSpadden v. United States of America
Petitioners are seeking an adjustment to the current standards federal courts use to assess civil claims for civil rights violations. Under Section 1983, courts analyze excessive force claims arising out of arrests, stops, and other seizures of individuals at liberty under the Fourth Amendment.
Rekia Boyd, Angela Helton, and Martinez Sutton v. United States of America
Petitioners are seeking to amend Section 1983 to eliminate qualified immunity as a defense and make the Fourth Amendment’s objective reasonableness standard less burdensome. Currently, in cases where an officer claims they used force because an individual was holding a weapon, the plaintiff has to prove that a reasonable officer could not have concluded that the weapon posed a risk. Unfortunately, courts often allow officers to justify deadly shootings on the basis of hypothetical possibilities even when there is no supporting evidence.