They're Going to Kill This Man | Season 2, Ep. 1
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In 2014, two members of a joint state-federal fugitive task force beat up an innocent college student, James King, after mistaking him for a suspect who looked nothing like him. The officers had James prosecuted for resisting arrest, which a jury quickly threw out. Then, in 2015, he sued the officers for violating his rights. In 2020, James’ suit reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where the question the Court faced was a narrow one: Can he even sue the officers in the first place?
On Season 2 of Bound By Oath, we’ll explore why it is so hard to sue government officials who violate the Constitution.
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Resources
James Pfander & Jonathan Hunt, Public Wrongs and Private Bills: Indemnification and Government Accountability in the Early Republic
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