This bill ends “qualified immunity” for state and local officials in civil rights lawsuits. That means if a government worker violates someone’s federal rights, they can be held responsible in court—even if they thought they were acting lawfully or if the rule wasn’t clearly spelled out at the time. It applies to cases already in court when the law takes effect and to new cases filed afterward. The bill relies on an existing law that lets people sue officials who violate their rights under color of state law, and it says qualified immunity has made it too hard for people to get justice.

Key points:

• Who is affected: People bringing civil rights claims, and state and local officials, including police.
• What changes: Officials can’t avoid liability by saying they acted in good faith, believed their conduct was lawful, the right wasn’t “clearly established,” or the law was too unclear to know what was allowed.
• When: Applies to any case pending on, or filed after, the date it becomes law.