Gallegos v. Freeman

¶1 — Qualified immunity shields a government official from liability for money damages in a lawsuit asserting the violation of a federal civil right unless the plaintiff pleads facts demonstrating that the official violated a statutory or constitutional right that was clearly established at the time of the challenged conduct. A right is “clearly established” only where existing precedent has resolved the statutory or constitutional question beyond debate — the contours of the right must be sufficiently clear that every reasonable official in the circumstances presented would have understood…