Media reports of Americans getting detained in sweeps….
Media reports of the Fed disregarding judges or court orders…
Media reports of violations of Federal Immigration agreements….
All the above and more could be opened to increased Civil actions (Including against Federal employee’s) if the legislation some Democrats in Congress want to be enabled by law…
One doubt’s such legislation has chance for passage right now though….
Current law sets very high standards and stringent procedures to follow to take civil actions against the Federal Govt. or its empoluyee’s…
A group of House Democrats is taking another run at amending federal law to allow Americans to receive damages from government agencies and officials that violate their constitutional rights.
And while the proposed measure was last offered during the Biden administration, its sponsors say the bill is especially timely as President Donald Trump expands his federal immigration and crime crackdown in cities across the U.S.
Georgia Representative Hank Johnson and Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin on Wednesday reintroduced the Bivens Act, a measure that if made law would amend a Civil War-era law to permit constitutional rights lawsuits against federal agencies. As written, the statute only applies to local and state authorities.
The Supreme Court has offered limited recourse for people whose constitutional rights were violated by federal officials via the high court’s Bivens doctrine, which stems from the 1971 case Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents. But the ability to sue the government for such violations is not currently codified in law.
“We are reminded every day that when federal agencies trample constitutional rights, Americans are too often left without any meaningful remedy or path to justice,” Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. “This bill would restore the basic promise that no federal officer is above the Constitution and no person whose rights have been violated is beneath its protection.”
The Democrats last introduced their measure, dubbed the Bivens Act, in 2024. But they pointed out Wednesday that the Trump administration’s federal law enforcement surge created an urgent need for reform….
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The conduct of federal agents has already resulted in legal action. A federal judge in Chicago last month ordered U.S. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino stop using tear gas and other riot control weapons on protesters and members of the media. Bovino was later accused of violating that order after images emerged of the Boder Patrol chief himself lobbing a tear gas canister during a protest.
Those episodes illustrate the need for a legal avenue for Americans to seek accountability from the federal government, the group of Democrats said Wednesday….
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