Family of Mexican Teen Shot by U.S. Border Agent Loses

The family of a Mexican teen killed in a cross-border shooting by a U.S. border patrol agent can’t bring an action for damages under the Fourth Amendment against the agent, the full Fifth Circuit held March 20.

The U.S. Supreme Court had sent the case back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to decide the issue in light of its 2017 holding in Ziglar v. Abbasi.

In Ziglar, the court clarified when individuals can sue federal officials for damages for constitutional violations—known as a Bivens action.

No federal statute allows such suits. Instead, the ...