Even though the Supreme Court ruled against James King, the Michigan man who sued the federal government after he was assaulted by a detective and an FBI agent, the case of Brownback v. King is not fully closed.
As Reason reports, SCOTUS is sending the central issue back to the lower court. This leaves open the possibility that James can still sue his assailants for violating his rights.
“Although today’s decision appears at first glance to deal a blow to constitutional accountability, in reality, the Supreme Court teed up the central issue in this case for the federal appeals court to reconsider,” said Patrick Jaicomo from the Institute for Justice, who argued on King’s behalf in the Brownback v. King case.
In 2014, King, then 21, was nearly beaten to death in broad daylight by two undercover officers who mistook him for a fugitive. As a result, King filed a lawsuit. In response, the officers claimed qualified immunity.
“The fight continues, and this time on our terms,” King said in a statement, per Forbes. “I’m looking forward to being back in court. The officers who assaulted me are not above the law and neither is anyone else, simply by virtue of being employed by the government.”
Read the entire Reason article here.
Read the entire Forbes article here.