If George Floyd is ever to have justice, that old Supreme Court decision from 1967 has got to go. Back then, the court decided that government officials -- now, that includes police officers -- should be shielded from being sued for "discretionary' actions they take while performing their jobs.
You know, like doing something that brings death to someone they're arresting. I would guess placing a knee on George Floyd's neck might fit into this.
The obvious criticism is that the principle, known as qualified immunity, has become a fail-safe way to dismiss police brutality.
With fortune, the issue might, indeed, be being addressed. The Supreme Court might announce as early as Monday that it is going to consider the issue of qualified immunity for police officers. And, in Congress, there is a bill to end qualified immunity.
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