Changes federal civil‑rights law to eliminate the common-law/constitutional defenses known as “qualified immunity.” It says defendants in suits under 42 U.S.C. 1983 may not avoid liability by claiming they acted in good faith, reasonably believed their conduct lawful, or that the right was not “clearly established,” and it applies to cases pending on the date of enactment as well as to cases filed after enactment.

The bill restates Congress’s view of the original civil‑rights statute’s plain text, explains why the Supreme Court’s qualified immunity doctrine conflicts with that text, and directs that those defenses no longer be available in federal civil‑rights suits going forward and for pending matters on enactment.