Warren, Pressley among Dems pushing to strip police of 'qualified immunity'

Democrats in the House and Senate reintroduced legislation this week to end qualified immunity for law enforcement officers to pave the way for alleged victims of police brutality to file lawsuits.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., along with fellow Massachusetts Democratic Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, are among the co-sponsors of the "Ending Qualified Immunity Act" that aims to abolish the legal protections for law enforcement officers from civil lawsuits.

"There will not be true racial justice until we end qualified immunity," Markey said in a statement.

Pressley and former Rep. Justin Amash, a Libertarian from Michigan, first introduced the legislation last year after the death of George Floyd during an arrest by Minneapolis police that sparked civil unrest throughout the summer.

The legislation states that the qualified immunity doctrine, which can protect cops from being held personally liable, does not provide police officers that brutalize or otherwise violate civil rights with defense or immunity from liability for their actions.

If qualified immunity is eliminated, many more lawsuits against police co... (Read more)

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