Removes defenses commonly called "qualified immunity" from federal civil-rights lawsuits under 42 U.S.C. 1983. The bill says courts misread an 1871 statute and directs that defendants may not use good-faith, reasonable-belief, unclear-law, or "not clearly established" arguments to avoid liability in any case pending on or filed after enactment.

The change applies to ongoing and new lawsuits, restoring liability under the statute to its plain text as Congress found it was originally intended to operate. That will increase the ability of people to sue public officials and others for violations of constitutional or federal rights, and it will reduce the availability of certain defenses for those defendants.