Statement from Shela Linton on Jacob P. Zorn v. Shela M. Linton
This week, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Jacob P. Zorn v. Shela M. Linton that the officer who injured me during a peaceful protest is shielded from accountability under qualified immunity.
This ruling is not just about one officer who harmed me—violating my Fourth Amendment rights through the use of excessive force while I was exercising my First Amendment right to peacefully protest. It is about a system that perpetuates harm, and then protects itself.
What the Supreme Court’s decision affirms is that qualified immunity continues to function as a shield for misconduct. It sends a message that even when harm is clear, even when there is evidence, even when people within the system recognize something went wrong, accountability can still be denied.
This is not an isolated incident. This is systemic.
