WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) will not hear the case of a man who was beaten by law enforcement nearly a decade ago.
James King was a 21-year-old student at Grand Valley State University in 2014 when he was beaten and arrested by a plainclothes Grand Rapids officer and FBI agent.
The incident, which was caught on camera, happened while King was walking along Leonard Street.
King said he thought he was being mugged so he fought back. He was charged with resisting arrest but was later found not guilty.
Since then, King sought to challenge the law on qualified immunity protecting task force officers from being held accountable. SCOTUS heard arguments in 2020 but ruled against King pending further review.
Monday, Institute for Justice (IJ) Senior Attorney Patrick Jaicomo, who represents King, says SCOTUS denied another appeal in the case.
“For far too long, the courts have created more and more immunities that shield government officials from accountability when they violate people’s constitutional rights, as these taskforce officers did when they beat James to a pulp,” says Jaicomo. “The court had an opportunity to stymy one of these immunities to permit James King to seek the justice he so sorely deserves, but today’s decision not to hear this case leaves the law unsettled and James King’s constitutional rights unenforceable.”
We're told the case was denied because King's application to challenge the law was "unfair" and "inefficient." King may no longer sue in the case.
