Supreme Court Cancels Temporary Block of Ohio’s Qualified Immunity Ballot Initiative

The U.S. Supreme Court on April 22 withdrew its April 10 order temporarily preventing Ohio voters who support repealing the qualified immunity rule from gathering signatures to place the issue on a future state ballot. Three justices dissented, indicating they would not have withdrawn the order. Qualified immunity, a rule created by the courts, shields government officials, including police officers, from individual liability unless the wrongdoer violated a clearly established right. Civil libertarians have become increasingly critical of qualified immunity in recent years, saying it allows government officials to escape liability for sometimes egregious wrongdoing. On April 10, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court seeking a pause of a March 14 ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The district court ordered Yost to “immediately certify” the proposed language, a key step in the process of getting the question on the ballot....