Qualified Immunity: Federal Appellate Cases
Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that shields government officials from civil liability unless their conduct violates "clearly established" statutory or constitutional rights. In practice, courts apply it most frequently to law enforcement officers accused of using excessive force.
This is every federal appellate qualified immunity case identified by the Institute for Justice in their Unaccountable study, 2010–2020. 5,500+ cases across all federal circuits. Search it. Filter it. See the patterns.
What do the rulings mean?
Granted = the court ruled that the official is immune from the lawsuit. The plaintiff cannot proceed regardless of whether a constitutional violation occurred.
Denied = the court ruled that the official is not immune. The case may proceed to trial.
Mixed = immunity was granted for some claims and denied for others. Not reached = the court resolved the case on other grounds without ruling on qualified immunity.
| Year | Circuit | Case Name | Ruling | Violation | Defendant | Prevailing |
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