James Clyburn is wrong on this one. Qualified immunity must be tossed out with other trash
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House Majority Whip James Clyburn is facing criticism for being all too willing to compromise when Black lives are at stake. As progressive legislators try to get federal legislation passed to overhaul policing in America, Clyburn said Sunday on CNNJames Clyburn is wrong on this one. Qualified immunity must be tossed out with other trash
House Majority Whip James Clyburn is facing criticism for being all too willing to compromise when Black lives are at stake. As progressive legislators try to get federal legislation passed to overhaul policing in America, Clyburn said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union that he would be willing to support that legislation even if it did not end the controversial legal protection known as qualified immunity. The doctrine frees individual government officials and police officers from guilt in lawsuits unless they have violated a “clearly established” statutory or constitutional right. Ending the protection is a key feature of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would also ban no-knock warrants, chokeholds, and racial and religious profiling as well as establish a national database to monitor police misconduct. It’s named in honor of a Black father who was murdered when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes. Although the House passed the anti-profiling legislation in March, it has failed to advance to the Senate, with Republicans refusing to allow police officers to truly be held accountable for their actions. Clyburn told CNN he’s willing to compromise. “I will never sacrifice good on the altar of perfect,” he said. “I just won’t do that.” Read more