The U.S. Supreme Court on March 23 ruled 6–3 that qualified immunity prevents a protester from suing a police officer for allegedly using excessive force during an arrest at a state capitol.
Qualified immunity, a rule created by the courts, shields government officials, including police officers, from individual liability unless the wrongdoer violated a clearly established right. Civil libertarians have become increasingly critical of qualified immunity in recent years, saying it allows government officials to escape liability for sometimes egregious wrongdoing.
