Law professor Teressa Ravanell talks qualified immunity (QI) on Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR).
“Should police be exempt from civil liability?” This is the question posed on a recent WPR segment that explores qualified immunity.
As WPR notes, the controversial doctrine is a topic of conversation in the national debate around police reform. This topic has been on a lot of people’s minds since the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives on March 3.
In the WPR segment, law professor Teressa Ravanell shares her thoughts on QI. Professor Ravanell is Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development at Villanova University. She offers some legal background of the doctrine and looks into different cases where QI came into play. She weighs in on how the Supreme Court has interpreted QI. Professor Ravanell also takes calls from listeners. Some of these listeners share their personal experiences with police abuse.
Along with federal efforts targeting qualified immunity, the doctrine is being challenged on a state level. And one of these states challenging QI is Wisconsin. Earlier this month, state rep. Jonathan Brostoff and state senator LaTonya Johnson introduced LRB-1942. This bill seeks to abolish QI for bad cops in Wisconsin.
Listen to Professor Teressa Ravenell as she talks QI on WPR here.