Above the Law

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Recounts twelve cases in which justice was denied because of qualified immunity (QI). QI is a legal principle which Reuters describes as "a nearly failsafe tool to let police brutality go unpunished and deny victims their constitutional rights." Originally intended to protect cops from being sued over good faith mistakes, courts have interpreted QI so broadly that police are shielded from accountability in all but the rarest of circumstances. Only when the exact same abusive behavior was already deemed unconstitutional by a court in the exact same jurisdiction can victims succeed in a prosecution. The stories are accompanied by infographics, timelines, and contextualizing background to create a concise and compelling indictment of an unjust legal principle that must be changed. --From publisher description