Amash, Pressley introduce bipartisan legislation to end qualified immunity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2020
CONTACT
mi03.media@mail.house.gov (Amash)
pressley.press@mail.house.gov (Pressley)
Amash, Pressley introduce bipartisan legislation to end qualified immunity
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reps. Justin Amash (L-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) today introduced the Ending Qualified Immunity Act to eliminate qualified immunity and restore Americans' ability to obtain relief when state and local officials, including police officers, violate their legal and constitutionally secured rights.
They were joined by Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.)., Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), and Joseph P. Kennedy III (D-Mass.) as original cosponsors.
“Qualified immunity protects police and other officials from consequences even for horrific rights abuses,” said Amash. “It prevents accountability for the ‘bad apples’ and undermines the public’s faith in law enforcement. It’s at odds with the text of the law and the intent of Congress, and it ultimately leaves Americans’ rights without appropriate protection. Members of Congress have a duty to ensure government officials can be held accountable for violating Americans’ rights, and ending qualified immunity is a crucial part of that.”
“Qualified immunity shields police from accountability, impedes true justice, and undermines the constitutional rights of every person in this country,” Pressley said. “There can be no justice without healing and accountability, and there can be no true accountability with qualified immunity. It’s past time to end qualified immunity, and that’s exactly what this bill does.”
The bill is endorsed by ACLU of Massachusetts, Arab American Institute, Constitutional Accountability Center, Due Process Institute, Lawyers for Civil Rights, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National Urban League, Republican Liberty Caucus, The Justice Collaborative, and Young Americans for Liberty, among other civil society groups.
Bill text is attached.
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060420 AmashPressleyIntroduceBipartisanLegislationtoEndQI.pdf