Cornyn, Cruz reject Democrats’ push to gut qualified immunity for police

[Elderberry]

Houston Chronicle by  Jasper Scherer June 19, 2020

Cornyn, Cruz reject Democrats’ push to gut qualified immunity for police

U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz on Friday rejected the idea of loosening or abolishing qualified immunity protections for police, though Cruz said he is drafting legislation that would make it easier for people to sue cities if officers violate their constitutional rights.

The topic is emerging as, perhaps, the most serious sticking point between congressional Democrats and Republicans as they take up police reforms in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis last month. House Democrats are taking direct aim at qualified immunity — the legal doctrine that shields government officials, including police, from civil lawsuits — in their police reform bill, proposing to end it altogether for police by making officers liable for constitutional violations.

Senate Republicans have rejected that idea while saying they are open to reforms that do not go as far. Cornyn, a Republican who is up for re-election in November, said qualified immunity police reforms could spill into other areas of government where the doctrine also applies.

“You start dealing with qualified immunity in this context, and you could well end up with unintended consequences. So, I don't think this is the right time for it,” Cornyn said after a roundtable discussion on police reform at Houston City Hall. “What I do support is additional follow-on hearings in the Judiciary Committee, and then, once we understand what the lay of the land is, we'll be in a better position to do the right thing.”

Cruz, a Republican who also participated in the roundtable, said he is concerned “about exposing police officers, potentially, to crushing litigation burdens and liability exposure.” Instead, he said, his staff is crafting legislation that would allow people to more easily sue municipalities if officers violate their constitutional rights.

More: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/Cornyn-Cruz-reject-reforms-to-qualified-immunity-15352576.php