Home/The Docket
The Docket · 13 articles
The Docket
All 13 articles from QualifiedImmunity.org, newest first. Search, filter by topic, or sort to find the one you need.
Qualified immunity vs. absolute immunity: judges, prosecutors, and police
Why judges and prosecutors usually cannot be sued at all while police get qualified immunity, and how the Supreme Court’s function-not-title test decides.
Qualified immunity vs. absolute immunity: judges, prosecutors, and police
Why judges and prosecutors usually cannot be sued at all while police get qualified immunity, and how the Supreme Court’s function-not-title test decides.
Can you sue a federal agent? Bivens , the FTCA, and the closing door
Section 1983 does not reach federal agents. Here is how Bivens claims and the Federal Tort Claims Act work, how both have narrowed, and why deadlines matter.
Who gets qualified immunity? Teachers, prison guards, social workers, and contractors
Qualified immunity is not just for police. It covers teachers, jail guards, and caseworkers, and sometimes private contractors. See where the line falls.
When qualified immunity loses: the rare Supreme Court wins for plaintiffs
Hope v. Pelzer, Groh, Tolan, and Taylor v. Riojas: the rare Supreme Court cases where officials did not win qualified immunity, and the limits of each.
The missing words in Section 1983: the case that qualified immunity was never the law
Is qualified immunity lawful? How the 1871 Act’s dropped “notwithstanding” clause, Baude’s critique, and Justice Thomas reshaped the debate, plus the defense.
How to research whether a right is “clearly established”
A plain-English research method for finding “clearly established” law: what the Supreme Court requires, why the incident date controls, and the free tools to use.
Filming the police: your First Amendment right and the qualified immunity gap
Federal appeals courts have recognized a right to record police in public, yet officers still win qualified immunity. Here is why, circuit by circuit.
Can you sue the city instead of the officer? Monell claims explained
Cities get no qualified immunity, but under Monell they answer only for their own policies and customs. Here is how municipal liability under § 1983 works.
Why civil rights cases take years: qualified immunity’s built-in appeal
Why civil rights lawsuits take so long: how Mitchell v. Forsyth lets officials appeal a qualified-immunity denial before trial, and where each appeal pauses a case.
Do police officers pay for misconduct lawsuits? How indemnification works
Officers almost never pay civil-rights settlements themselves. Here is how indemnification works, what the data show, and what it means for qualified immunity.
Which states have ended or limited qualified immunity?
No state can repeal federal qualified immunity, but a few have built state-law claims around it. Colorado, New Mexico, Connecticut, and New York City compared.
The Ending Qualified Immunity Act and other bills: what Congress has tried
A sourced history of the Ending Qualified Immunity Act, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and other federal bills on qualified immunity, and how far each got.
The organizer and the wristlock: what Zorn v. Linton really cost
The Court’s biggest qualified-immunity ruling of 2026 has been covered as a fact pattern. The plaintiff is a person — a Black community organizer who waited eleven years for an answer.