Pearson v. Callahan

Pearson v. Callahan (2000) is a Supreme Court case that clarified when police officers have qualified immunity from lawsuits. It established that officers are protected from civil suits unless their conduct violated clearly established constitutional rights at the time of the incident. This means that for a person to successfully sue an officer, they must show that the rights they claim were violated were well-known and clearly recognized before the incident. The ruling emphasizes that qualified immunity is meant to protect officers making split-second decisions, but not when they violate clear legal rights.