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S 4142 116th Congress Senate Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Civil actions and liability Constitution and constitutional amendments Due process and equal protection Government liability Law enforcement officers

Ending Qualified Immunity Act

Introduced: July 1, 2020 Introduced by: Markey, Edward J. Democratic · Massachusetts See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 1, 2020
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Jul 1, 2020
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Ending Qualified Immunity Act

This bill eliminates the defense of qualified immunity in civil actions for deprivation of rights. Qualified immunity is a judicially created doctrine that protects government employees or those acting with state authority from being held personally liable for constitutional violations.

The bill provides that under the statute allowing a civil action alleging deprivation of rights under color of law, it shall not be a defense or immunity to any such action that (1) the defendant was acting in good faith or believed that his or her conduct was lawful at the time it was committed; (2) the rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution or laws were not clearly established at the time of their deprivation; or (3) the state of the law was such that the defendant could not reasonably have been expected to know whether his or her conduct was lawful.

What's happening now July 1, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Related & companion bills 3
  • S 4036 Related bill Reforming Qualified Immunity Act
  • HR 8979 Related bill Qualified Immunity Abolition Act
  • HR 7085 Identical bill Ending Qualified Immunity Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 2
All 2 Democratic 1 Independent 1
I
Sanders, Bernard
Vermont · Jul 1, 2020
 D
Warren, Elizabeth
Massachusetts · Jul 1, 2020
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 4142: Ending Qualified Immunity Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4142/
MLA
"S. 4142: Ending Qualified Immunity Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4142/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 4142, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4142/.
Markdown link
[S. 4142: Ending Qualified Immunity Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-4142/)
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