Americans’ conversation about police reform isn’t going away. Here’s an updated look. – USA TODAY

This is part of a series by the USA TODAY Opinion team examining the issue of qualified immunity.

Howard University Law Prof. Tiffany Wright on qualified immunity

The legal doctrine of qualified immunity is an anomaly within the law because ignorance isn't typically a defense for everyday people.

Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

It has been a while since we last updated you on the destructive Supreme Court policy called "qualified immunity." We're still on top of it.

It's a key issue in the national conversation on police reform. It's the topic of an ongoing series at USA TODAY Opinion, an issue in political campaigns, fodder for state lawmakers and an item on numerous court dockets.

Here's a look atthe latest headlines.

ByAnquan Boldin

"Nouman Raja was ultimately convicted of manslaughter andsentenced to 25 years in prisonfor killing my cousin. He was the first officer in 30 years to be convicted in Florida for an on-duty shooting," Boldin writes.

ByTyson Langhofer and John Bursch

"After almost two years of litigation, the district court held that the officials were entitled toqualified immunity and dismissed the case.On appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuitruled that the officials had violated Hoggards constitutional rights, but it also held that the officials were entitled to qualified immunity and could not be held responsible for their unconstitutional actions.In other words, public university officials stopped a student from peacefully exercising her First Amendment rights, but they got off scot-free because of qualified immunity," Langhofer and Bursch write.

ByCarli Pierson

"Civil rights attorneys have been relying onthe same Reconstruction-era lawto try toholda host of government officialscivillyaccountable forconstitutional rights violations, for instance, Fourthand Eight Amendment violations by government employees. But since the 1980s, plaintiffshave faced considerable obstaclesbased on the court-created doctrine of qualified immunity, which doesn't appear in the Constitution or in the KKK Act,"Pierson writes.

By The Editorial Board

"Hamdi Mohamud was just 16 years old when she was wrongfullyarrested. She has been tryingsince 2017to hold the police officer who lied accountable for what she went through. But when Mohamud, a Somali refugee whose life was torn apart by the experience, filed a lawsuit against Weyker, who had accused her of witness tampering, a federal appeals court let Weyker off the hook.The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals granted Weyker what amounts to absolute immunity, ruling that as an officerdetailed to a federal task force at the time of Mohamud's arrest, sheis entitled to broad protectionandcannot be sued," USA TODAY writes.

Follow this link:
Americans' conversation about police reform isn't going away. Here's an updated look. - USA TODAY