Immunity from Accountability

How Qualified and Absolute Immunity Shield Injustice in Plain Sight

Imagine being ripped from your life, locked away for a crime you didn’t commit. Imagine screaming the truth into a system designed not to hear you—but to protect itself. Then imagine learning that the very people who fabricated the case against you—who hid evidence, coerced testimony, or looked the other way—cannot be held accountable in civil court. Not because they were right. But because they were immune.

This is the legacy of qualified and absolute immunity in America.

The 2024 Exoneration Data Speaks for Itself

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, 147 people were exonerated in the United States in 2024.

• 104 of those cases—71%—involved official misconduct.

• In homicide cases, the number is even more disturbing: 79% of exonerations involved official misconduct.

• Yet, almost none of the officials responsible—prosecutors, police officers, detectives, forensic techs—faced civil consequences.

• Why? Because the system protects them. Not us.

What Is Qualified Immunity?

Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that protects government officials from civil lawsuits—even when they violate someone’s constitutional rights—unless the exact behavior was previously ruled unconstitutional in a prior case. Think about that. If no one has sued and won in a similar situation before, your case gets tossed.

It’s a legal game of “you can’t punish me unless you already punished someone just like me.”

Now add absolute immunity for prosecutors. That means even if a prosecutor knowingly hides evidence, uses perjured testimony, or pursues charges without probable cause, they are legally untouchable—as long as it’s part of their job function.

Immunity Is Not Protection—It’s Permission

It’s not just broken—it’s backwards.

We do not give teachers, surgeons, or even babysitters this kind of immunity. If a surgeon leaves a tool inside your body, they’re liable. But if a government agent lies and ruins your life, they get a free pass.

This isn’t justice. It’s a state-sanctioned escape clause for abuse of power.

Real Lives, Real Damage

Behind every exoneration is a story of lost time, destroyed families, and irreversible damage:

• Years—sometimes decades—of wrongful imprisonment.

• Children growing up without parents.

• Careers, health, mental stability—shattered.

• And the real perpetrators? Still free, because the system “got a conviction.”

The people responsible go on to collect pensions. The victims often walk out of prison with nothing.

This is not rare. It’s not random. It’s baked into the system.

What Happens When There’s No Accountability?

• Misconduct becomes routine. If there’s no consequence, why stop?

• Reform becomes impossible. How do we fix what we cannot even challenge?

• Trust collapses. The more people see the truth, the more they realize the system is not broken—it’s working exactly as it was designed to.

And for the people it was never built to protect? The trauma doesn’t end when the cell door opens.

Abolishing Immunity Is a Moral Imperative

This is not a partisan issue. It’s not anti-cop or anti-government. It’s pro-accountability, pro-Constitution, and pro-human dignity.

Ending qualified and absolute immunity would not mean punishing every government official—it would mean giving citizens a chance to be heard in court when their rights are violated.

It means:

• Victims could finally sue the agencies that allowed or ignored corruption.

• Courts could impose reforms to stop future abuses.

• Public trust could begin to rebuild—because justice would no longer be optional.

Ohio’s Opportunity—and Our Obligation

In Ohio, a citizen-led initiative is currently underway to amend the state constitution and eliminate all legal immunities for government officials who violate the Ohio Constitution.

This amendment would:

• Allow citizens to sue government entities—not individual employees—for damages.

• Remove the need to prove a “clearly established” right.

• Ensure that systemic reforms can be court-ordered where needed.

• Finally balance the scales between power and people.

The Heart of the Matter

This isn’t just about bad actors. It’s about what kind of society we want to be.

Do we believe in freedom? Then we must hold accountable those who take it unjustly.

Do we believe in truth? Then we must confront uncomfortable facts.

Do we believe in justice? Then it must apply to everyone—especially those with the most power.

Because if the government can violate your rights without consequence, you have no rights. Just privileges they can choose to ignore.

We Must Wake Up

For every one of those 147 exonerees, there are more still trapped. Still silenced. Still invisible.

This must end.

The people didn’t ask for this protection. The Constitution didn’t guarantee it.

It was created by courts, defended by bureaucrats, and used to destroy lives.

But we can undo it.

📣 TAKE ACTION

🔹 Support the movement to abolish qualified immunity in Ohio.

🔹 Share this article.

🔹 Talk to your neighbors.

🔹 Vote like justice depends on it—because it does.

🔹 Contact your lawmakers and ask where they stand.

Together, we can end this legal injustice—and finally make justice real.