Qualified Immunity Act of 2025

House Bill

H.R. 503

119th Congress

Qualified Immunity Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 16, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Joyce Beatty

Representative

Democratic

OH-3

Cosponsors

24

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Summary

This bill codifies the judicial doctrine of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in civil rights lawsuits. Officers receive immunity if the constitutional right was not clearly established or if a court has held the specific conduct constitutional. The bill applies to federal, state, and local officers and extends protection to agencies and governments when their officers have immunity.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

SponsorJoyce Beatty (D-OH)

Introduced1/16/2025

StatusReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

Qualified Immunity Act of 2025

This bill codifies the judicial doctrine of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in civil rights lawsuits. Officers receive immunity if the constitutional right was not clearly established or if a court has held the specific conduct constitutional.

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This bill codifies the judicial doctrine of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in civil rights lawsuits. Officers receive immunity if the constitutional right was not clearly established or if a court has held the specific conduct constitutional. The bill applies to federal, state, and local officers and extends protection to agencies and governments when their officers have immunity.

Bill Number: 503
Sponsor: Joyce Beatty (D-OH)
Introduced: 1/16/2025
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Policy Area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Qualified Immunity Act of 2025
Bill Number: 503
Sponsor: Joyce Beatty (D-OH)
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced: 1/16/2025
Summary: This bill codifies the judicial doctrine of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in civil rights lawsuits. Officers receive immunity if the constitutional right was not clearly established or if a court has held the specific conduct constitutional. The bill applies to federal, state, and

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill codifies the judicial doctrine of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in civil rights lawsuits. Officers receive immunity if the constitutional right was not clearly established or if a court has held the specific conduct constitutional. The bill applies to federal, state, and local officers and extends protection to agencies and governments when their officers have immunity.

Last updated: 1/4/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Qualified Immunity Act of 2025This bill provides statutory authority for qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in civil cases involving constitutional violations.Current law provides a statutory civil cause of action against state and local government actors (e.g., law enforcement officers) for violations of constitutional rights, also known as Section 1983 lawsuits. The Supreme Court has also found an implied cause of action against federal law enforcement officers in certain situations (e.g., Fourth Amendment violations), also known as Bivens lawsuits. However, under the judicial doctrine of qualified immunity, government officials performing discretionary duties are generally shielded from civil liability, unless their actions violate clearly established rights of which a reasonable person would have known.The bill provides statutory authority for these principles with respect to law enforcement officers. Specifically, under the bill, law enforcement officers are entitled to qualified immunity if (1) at the time of the alleged violation, the constitutional right at issue was not clearly established or the state of the law was not sufficiently clear that every reasonable officer would have known that the conduct was unconstitutional; or (2) a court has held that the specific conduct at issue is constitutional.The bill applies to federal, state, and local law enforcement officers. It also specifies that law enforcement agencies and local governments may not be held liable if their officers are entitled to qualified immunity.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Codifies qualified immunity for law enforcement
Officers immune unless rights clearly established
Immunity if court has approved similar conduct
Applies to federal, state, and local officers
Extends protection to agencies and local governments

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This legislation responds to calls to eliminate qualified immunity by enshrining it in statute. Currently, qualified immunity exists through court decisions that could theoretically be overturned. Codification makes the doctrine harder to change and explicitly protects agencies from vicarious liability. Civil rights advocates argue this prevents accountability for police misconduct.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Related Subjects

Civil actions and liability

Constitution and constitutional amendments

Due process and equal protection

Government liability

Law enforcement officers

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

503, 119th Congress (2025). "Qualified Immunity Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-503

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