Qualified Immunity Abolition Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
Introduced
Summary
Abolish qualified immunity for law enforcement officers. This bill would remove the listed qualified immunity defenses in 42 U.S.C. 1983 civil actions and extend §1983 liability to federal officers acting under federal authority.
Show full summary
- People who sue for civil rights violations could bring claims against federal, state, and local officers without the four listed defenses, and that change applies to suits pending on enactment and to new suits.
- Law enforcement officers could no longer use defenses such as that they acted in good faith, reasonably believed their conduct was lawful, that rights were not clearly established, or that the state of the law prevented them from knowing their conduct was unlawful.
- Federal officers acting under any United States statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage would be explicitly subject to §1983 remedies, making federal actors directly reachable in these civil actions.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Easier civil suits against officers
This bill would make it easier to sue federal, State, and local law enforcement officers for civil-rights violations. It would remove the qualified immunity defenses that say an officer acted in good faith, believed the conduct was lawful (reasonable or not), that the rights were not clearly established, or that the officer could not reasonably have known the conduct was unlawful. It would also clarify that federal officers acting under federal statutes, regulations, customs, or usages can be sued. These changes would apply to cases pending on, or filed after, the date of enactment. If enacted, officers and their employers could face more lawsuits and greater liability.
Free Policy Watch
You just read the policy. Now see what it costs you.
Pick a topic. PRIA runs your household against live legislation and sends you a free personalized readout.
Pick a topic to get started
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
MA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 1/13/2026
Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12]
CA • D
Sponsored 1/13/2026
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]
MA • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Rep. Green, Al [D-TX-9]
TX • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Sponsored 1/15/2026
Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]
IL • D
Sponsored 1/21/2026
Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2]
IL • D
Sponsored 1/21/2026
Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]
ME • D
Sponsored 1/22/2026
Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [D-GA-4]
GA • D
Sponsored 2/2/2026
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/2/2026
Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5]
GA • D
Sponsored 2/2/2026
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 2/20/2026
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 3/24/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.govTake It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Take the PRIA Score to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in