About the Program
During this unprecedented moment of global uprisings against police violence, many reforms have been presented by various constituencies. The public outcry for police reform has led to reactions from leadership on the city, state, and federal levels.
Over the last few months, police reform bills and proposals have covered a wide range of ideas, including increased funding of social services in responding to behavioral health calls, de-escalation training, reforming use of force policies, and independent prosecution of officers, among others.
One reform that seemingly cuts across political and ideological differences however, is a reexamination of the doctrine of qualified immunity. Since its introduction in Supreme Court jurisprudence, qualified immunity has increasingly barred many aggrieved plaintiffs from holding state actors civilly liable for harm.
Recently, members of Congress have introduced legislation to limit qualified immunity, members of the federal bench have decried qualified immunity in dissents, and members of the public continue to call out qualified immunity’s severe limitations on the exercise of their constitutional rights.
This free online event is open to the public. The replay is available only to ABA Members.
Learning Objectives
- Introduce the qualified immunity doctrine
- Gain an overview of qualified immunity applications over time
- Contextualize the doctrine within the current debate
- Offer recommendations on what policymakers and community members can do moving forward
Speakers
- Christopher Bruce, Political Director, ACLU of Georgia, Atlanta, GA
- Paul Henderson, Department of Police Accountability, San Francisco, CA
- Melba Pearson, Former Deputy Director of ACLU of Florida & former candidate for Miami-Dade State Attorney, Miami, FL