The Supreme Court on June 15 declined to revisit a widely debated legal doctrine—known as “qualified immunity”—that insulates police officers from civil liability for their conduct.
The high court said it won’t hear eight major cases (pdf) that presented opportunities for the justices to reconsider the qualified immunity doctrine, which shields government officials from liability for damages claims for harm caused by their actions as they perform official duties, even if those actions violated the U.S. Constitution but didn’t contravene a “clearly established” rule.
