Qualified Immunity

The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently released a ruling for Fuqua v. Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office. This case stems from an incident in July 2021 when Deputy Leonardo Guzman pulled behind Jason Roybal’s vehicle. Knowing that Roybal had outstanding warrants, Deputy Guzman activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop. Instead of pulling over, Roybal attempted to flee.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently released a ruling for Burke v. Pitts, a case that arose after a response to a domestic disturbance call ended with multiple Taser discharges and a fatal shooting within four minutes of officer arrival.1 The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court’s denial of qualified immunity for the officers, holding that, under clearly established law, the officers’ use of force was

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently issued a decision in Napouk v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, a case involving the use of deadly force. The ruling highlights the challenges law enforcement officers face when making split-second decisions in tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving situations. Stemming from the fatal shooting of Lloyd Napouk by two officers from the Las