Barnes v. Felix changes nothing for most of us, because, contrary to so much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, the Supreme Court did not change the use of force standard. In fact, it was the 5th Circuit which decided to implement their own use of force standard, and in the Barnes opinion, the Supreme Court simply brought them back onto the reservation.
Category: Law Enforcement
Qualified Immunity Is a Solution, Not the Problem
If we take away qualified immunity from already lawsuit-jittery cops, we will lose a whole lot more good cops and be left with a whole lot more power-hungry cops. The cure would exacerbate the disease.
