ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A public interest law firm is asking the Supreme Court to consider whether police officers and other government agents should have broad immunity from civil lawsuits.
The court is expected to decide as soon as this month whether to take the cases.
In one, a college student was restricted from suing officers who beat him up in a case of mistaken identity.
Another involves a woman whose home was destroyed by agents looking for her ex-boyfriend.
The Arlington, Virginia-based Institute for Justice says officers are hiding behind a doctrine called “qualified immunity” that allows them to violate citizens' rights without penalty.
