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City of Tahlequah v. Bond

Docket: 20-1668 Decision Date: 2021-10-18
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This links to the official slip opinion PDF.
How to read this page

Below are plain-language sections to help you understand what the Court decided in City of Tahlequah v. Bond and why it matters. Quotes are taken from the syllabus (the Court’s short summary at the start of the opinion).

Summary

A short, plain-English overview of City of Tahlequah v. Bond.

The Supreme Court reviewed the case of City of Tahlequah v. Bond, where officers were accused of using excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The Tenth Circuit had reversed the District Court's grant of summary judgment, but the Supreme Court found that the officers were entitled to qualified immunity. The Court determined that no clearly established law was violated by the officers' actions.

Holding

The single most important “bottom line” of what the Court decided in City of Tahlequah v. Bond.

The Court held that the officers are entitled to qualified immunity from suit.

Constitutional Concepts

These are the Constitution-related themes that appear in City of Tahlequah v. Bond. Click a concept to see other cases that involve the same idea.

  • Why Search and Seizure is relevant to City of Tahlequah v. Bond

    The case involves an alleged violation of the Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force, which is part of the broader concept of search and seizure.

    Syllabus excerpt (verbatim)
    Rollice's estate fled suit against, among others, Offcers Girdner and Vick, alleging that the offcers were liable under 42 U. S. C. § 1983, for violating Rollice's Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force.
  • Why Judicial Review is relevant to City of Tahlequah v. Bond

    The Court's decision involves reviewing and reversing the Tenth Circuit's application of precedent, which is a function of judicial review.

    Syllabus excerpt (verbatim)
    The Tenth Circuit contravened those settled principles here. None of the decisions on which the Court of Appeals relied comes close to establishing that the offcers' conduct was unlawful.
  • Why Procedural Due Process is relevant to City of Tahlequah v. Bond

    The case involves the application of qualified immunity, which relates to whether the officers' actions violated clearly established rights, a procedural due process consideration.

    Syllabus excerpt (verbatim)
    The doctrine of qualifed immunity shields offcers from civil liability if their conduct 'does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.'

Key Quotes

Short excerpts from the syllabus in City of Tahlequah v. Bond that support the summary and concepts above.

  • The doctrine of qualified immunity shields officers from civil liability if their conduct 'does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.'
  • The Tenth Circuit contravened those settled principles here.
  • None of the decisions on which the Court of Appeals relied comes close to establishing that the officers' conduct was unlawful.

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