US Lawmaker Readies Bill Aimed at Ending Police Court Protection

With cities across the United States in turmoil over the death of 👤George Floyd, a U.S. lawmaker plans to introduce legislation this week to eliminate a legal doctrine that protects police officers from being sued for illegal and unconstitutional acts.

U.S. Representative 👤Justin Amash, a conservative independent from Michigan, won support from a Minneapolis Democrat on Monday for his “Ending Qualified Immunity Act,” which would allow civil lawsuits against police, a recourse that the Supreme Court has all but done away with.

The high court’s adoption of the qualified immunity doctrine has largely shielded police and other government officials from having to pay financial settlements to victims or grieving families. The doctrine increasingly protects cops even when courts have determined that the officers violated a victim’s civil rights, a Reuters investigation showed.

“The brutal killing of 👤George Floyd is merely the latest in a long line of incidents of egregious police misconduct,” Amash told colleagues in a letter posted to Twitter on Sunday. “This pattern continues because police are legally, politically and culturally insulated.”

“That must change so that these incidents stop happening.”

Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minneapolis Democrat, intends to back the bill, according to an aide. Amash’s office did not respond to Reuters queries.