The legislation would create a cause of action in state courts to sue a police officer who “under color of law, subjects or causes to be subjected, including failing to intervene, any other person to the deprivation of any individual rights that create binding obligations on government actors secured by the bill of rights, article one of the state constitution.”
The new language would stipulate that qualified immunity is not a defense in these cases. In effect, it would prohibit public employees and employers from invoking a defense that the “plaintiff’s rights, privileges, or immunities were not clearly established at the time of their deprivation in causes of action for unjustified use of force or violations of the New Jersey Civil Rights Act.”
The legislation would create a cause of action in state courts to sue an agent of the state of New Hampshire, or any of its political subdivisions, including police officers, for a violation of a right under the laws or constitution of New Hampshire or the United States Constitution.
A bill filed in the Missouri House would create a process to sue police officers in state court for the deprivation of individual rights without the possibility of “qualified immunity” as a defense.
We anticipate a spirited clash of hooves and horns this weekend. But what’s most important isn’t what happens across four quarters on Saturday, but what our universities are accomplishing together across our 300 combined years of excellence in service to Colorado and beyond. It’s a legacy that Colorado’s prospective students would be wise to join.