Why it's so hard to sue police and why Jill Lawrence is thankful
Today we are leading off the newsletter with a story about qualified immunity. We also have two columns on Thanksgiving which is in just a couple days. Happy reading.
Why is it so tough to sue cops? They get 3 chances to appeal.
By Raffi Melkonian
The doctrine of qualified immunity protects police officers and other officials from being sued unless a plaintiff can demonstrate the officials violated "clearly established" law. Some say this strong protection from liability frees officers to do their jobs. Others point out that it immunizes bad actors from the consequences of their actions.
Qualified immunity offers startling procedural benefits to government defendants.
Today's Editorial Cartoon
From Zoom to (gulp) Trump, a liberal's Thanksgiving thanks
By Jill Lawrence
Thanksgiving is the one sacrosanct holiday in my extended, spiritually diverse family – and if there’s one week to focus on the positive instead of all that’s painfully wrong in our world, this is it.
Don’t worry, there will be politics. (It is my nature.) But we are on a brief break to commemorate the 1621 harvest celebration that cemented a temporary peace between the English Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe. This is a holiday about unity and friendship.
In that spirit, my goal is to give credit where it is due. And some surprising people turn out to deserve it.
PEA-cans and puh-CONS can coexist this Thanksgiving
By Steven Petrow
For the past 30 years, I’ve been the undisputed pecan pie king at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. Well, that’s except for the one year when a newcomer to our family successfully dethroned me by telling a yarn of a story about how – at 8 1/2 months pregnant – she climbed a pecan tree on her grandmother’s Missouri farm and picked the damn nuts herself, risking her life, as she explained, for us. Oh, and her beloved grandma had just passed. Cry me a river!
Frankly, it didn’t matter what Megan’s pie actually tasted like; she had won the “personal courage” and “sympathy” vote. But talk about polarized families. With my family siding with Megan, I felt betrayed, not to mention I had lost my pie crown. Still, I got my just desserts: I blackballed this new in-law from ever being invited back. (Really, this was because she, her husband and that beautiful new baby moved to another state.)
Ah, Thanksgiving approaches and family is near.
Other columns to read today
- Alex Jones Sandy Hook lawsuit verdict offers victory for the truth
- Free speech on campus: Universities must defend controversial ideas
- COVID and Thanksgiving: How to have a safe and worry-free gathering
- My family of six gets a hefty monthly child tax credit check – and that's a problem
Columns on qualified immunity
We're doing a series examining the issue of qualified immunity. For more on the series read here.
- He was asleep in his car. Police woke him up and created a reason to kill him.
- A bad cop sexually assaulted me. Qualified immunity protected him and his boss.
- I refused to lie under oath for the state of Arizona, and the courts aren't on my side
- My brother wanted to go to the bathroom. Police killed him instead.
This newsletter was compiled by Jaden Amos.