A former DHS official isn’t liable for allegedly unlawful arrests and excessive use of force during Portland, Ore., protests in the summer of 2020 following the killing of George Floyd, the Ninth Circuit ruled.
Gabriel Russell, the former regional director of the Federal Protective Service’s Northwest Region, can’t be sued in his individual capacity because allowing such a suit would expand US Supreme Court precedent, and Congress is better equipped than the courts to weigh the costs and benefits of allowing a damages action in these circumstances, the court ruled Thursday.
The complaint alleged that protesters were injured by tear ...