Renee Good’s Family Should Be Able to Sue the Officer Who Killed Her
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Renee Good’s family cannot sue the ICE agent who killed her for constitutional violations because federal law lacks provisions allowing civil suits against federal officers, unlike state or local officers.
- While federal officials can face criminal liability, civil suits against them are hindered by legal gaps, with the Supreme Court having ruled in several cases that individuals harmed by federal actions had no civil remedy.
- The Civil Rights Act of 1871, particularly Section 1983, permits civil suits against state and local officials for constitutional violations, forming the basis for most such lawsuits, including those related to police misconduct.
- Section 1983 does not apply to federal officers, which is why officers like Derek Chauvin can be sued under it, but federal agents like the ICE officer
