New York Must Reject Qualified Immunity — and Pass S176/A1402
Call (332) 244-3311 to urge lawmakers to protect innocent people harmed by official misconduct
Governor Kathy Hochul has put forth proposals in Section M of her budget and Program Bill #20 that would, for the first time in the state’s history, enshrine qualified immunity into New York State law. Qualified immunity is a judge-made rule that protects public officials, including law enforcement officers, from being sued, even when they violate people’s rights. Enshrining qualified immunity into law would move our state backward — shielding misconduct and denying justice to those whose constitutional rights have been violated.
Call (332) 244-3311 and urge Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Heastie to amend any proposal that codifies qualified immunity and to pass S176/A1402 this session.
Qualified immunity has already left too many people — including those who were wrongfully incarcerated — without any meaningful path to justice for the harm they suffered. Official misconduct has played a role in over half of the 3,776 exonerations nationwide. Accountability is essential to preventing wrongful convictions and building a justice system that works for everyone.
New York must pass S176/A1402 to:
- Ban qualified immunity. This bill would prevent New York from enshrining a doctrine that shields misconduct and denies accountability.
- Create a real path to justice. Ending qualified immunity would allow people — including exonerees — to seek redress when their constitutional rights are violated.
- Ensure system-wide accountability. The legislation would hold not only individual officials, but the agencies that employ them, financially responsible for civil rights violations.
- Drive meaningful reform. Providing incentives for further policy changes would drive systemic reforms and help prevent future miscarriages of justice.
Tell New York’s leaders: remove language that adopts qualified immunity from any legislation and pass S176/A1402 to secure real accountability and justice.
This campaign is in partnership with the Campaign to End Qualified Immunity in New York, including Americans Against Qualified Immunity, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, NYCLU, The Gathering for Justice, Legal Aid Society, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, VOCAL-NY, Westchester Coalition for Police Reform, and many more.