A group of Democratic lawmakers reintroduced a bill seeking to end qualified immunity for police officers, arguing the legal doctrine shields law enforcement officers from accountability when they violate one’s constitutional rights.
Surrounded by members of the Black Lives Matter Grassroots group, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) unveiled the legislation on Wednesday, calling it a move to ensure law enforcement officers establish and follow standards of conduct.
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"There's nothing radical about it,” Pressley said. “In any other job in America, there are standards of conduct and consequences for failing to meet them. Doctors can be sued for malpractice. Lawyers can be sued for negligence, and policing should be no exception.”
Markey echoed similar sentiments, arguing the bill is particularly crucial for black people as they seek protection from police brutality. The lawmakers were joined by several parents who told stories of how their family members were killed at the hands of police officers.
“Thank you for telling your stories because your stories are the stories of hundreds and thousands of other people in our country. Your testimony is absolutely essential,” Markey said. “We must remove obstacles that families … face in seeking the justice that they deserve.”
The legislation follows previous efforts from the two lawmakers to eliminate qualified immunity, which offers some protections to police officers who are accused of unlawful conduct. The law stipulates that law enforcement officers cannot be put on trial unless the plaintiff can provide evidence of unlawful conduct and can prove that the officers knew they were violating the law.
As a result, that legal doctrine has limited victims from being able to recover damages against police officers, thus violating of their constitutional rights, the lawmakers argued.
The pair first introduced similar legislation during the summer of 2020 shortly after the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed at the hands of Minnesota police officers. His death ignited nationwide outrage as well as months of protests calling for police reform.
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The bill was reintroduced in 2021 after it failed to make it to the floor for a vote before a new Congress was ushered in months later. However, that bill also failed to gain much traction among lawmakers.
It’s unclear whether this version of the bill, which has remained largely unchanged in language, will make its way through Congress as lawmakers have remained split on what to do with qualified immunity in recent years. Although Democrats have been adamant about repealing it, Republicans have fought to preserve the provision.