Supreme Court protects cops from lawsuits in two qualified immunity cases

The Supreme Court Monday issued two unsigned opinions applying qualified immunity to disputes over alleged excessive use of force by police officers, reversing lower court decisions that allowed the officers to be sued for their on-the-job conduct. 

There were no recorded dissents in the two cases, both of which involved police officers responding to domestic disputes where women or children were allegedly being threatened by adult men. 

The decisions come amid a simmering debate about the doctrine of qualified immunity, which prevents government officials from being sued for violating citizens' rights while reasonably doing their jobs unless the breached rights are "clearly established in the law."