WASHINGTON – On Constitutional Accountability Center endorsing the Ending Qualified Immunity Act, a bill proposed by Representatives Justin Amash (L-MI) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), CAC President Elizabeth Wydra issued the following statement:

Without accountability, we do not have rights. The Reconstruction Congress drafted the Fourteenth Amendment to end the deprivation of rights African Americans suffered at the hands of the state. Section 1983 was drafted to effectuate that constitutional goal. Ending the Qualified Immunity doctrine would ensure government accountability, encourage courts to play their historic role of redressing abuse of power, punish wrongdoing by those sworn to uphold the law, and create an incentive for governments to properly train their officers to avoid unnecessary use of force.

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Resources:

“Reps. Pressley, Amash Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to End Qualified Immunity,” June 4, 2020: https://pressley.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-pressley-amash-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-end-qualified-immunity 

“The Supreme Court Enabled Horrific Police Violence by Ignoring Constitutional History,” David H. Gans, Slate, June 3, 2020: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/06/supreme-court-enabled-george-floyd-murder-police-violence.html

“Civil Rights Coalition Letter on Federal Policing Priorities,” Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, June 1, 2020: https://civilrights.org/resource/civil-rights-coalition-letter-on-federal-policing-priorities/ 

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Constitutional Accountability Center is a think tank, public interest law firm, and action center dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text and history. Visit CAC’s website at www.theusconstitution.org. 

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