Next Monday, IJ has a very important phone call with nine pretty big-deal jurists. Yes, this is what a U.S. Supreme Court argument looks like in 2020.
This latest Supreme Court case is part of a new initiative IJ launched in January called our Project on Immunity and Accountability. Our goal is to dismantle government immunity doctrines—including qualified immunity—that make it very difficult to hold government officials accountable in court, even when they knowingly and egregiously violate an individual’s constitutional rights. The case we will argue next week—Brownback v. King—is a crucial step toward that ultimate goal.
Our case involves a joint task force, a brutal beating, and a cover-up attempt that cost an innocent college student years of his life and his family their entire savings. That student is IJ client James King, and you can hear legendary reporter Ted Koppel tell his story in this in-depth feature from CBS Sunday Morning.
James’ quest to hold the officers who violated his rights accountable in court—and to make sure that others like him also have a way to pursue justice—led him to IJ and now to the U.S. Supreme Court, where we will go up against the Solicitor General’s Office of the United States on his behalf.
The premise we will argue is simple: Government officials are not above the law. Those who are charged with enforcing our nation’s laws should be more—not less—accountable for their unconstitutional acts. By winning for James, IJ will ensure that the Bill of Rights is not just a bill of goods—and that those in power who violate it can be held to account in a court of law.
For a deeper discussion of the legal issues at play in our initiative, check out the following episodes of IJ’s Deep Dive podcast:
IJ is uniquely equipped to achieve long-term change on this front—but we need your help to do it. Please support our fight to hold government officials accountable by donating online at ij.org/give-now.
And now, on to the (virtual) Supreme Court!
Scott G. Bullock
President and General Counsel
Institute for Justice
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