What is meant by "qualified immunity"?

The concept of "qualified immunity" refers to the legal doctrine that protects government officials from liability for civil damages, provided that their conduct did not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known. This means that if a government official, such as a police officer, acted in a way that a reasonable officer in the same position would not have recognized as unlawful, they may not be held personally liable in a lawsuit.

This protection is designed to allow officials to perform their duties without the fear of being sued for every decision they make—especially in complex situations where the law may not be clear. However, if it is determined that a right was clearly established at the time of the official's actions and that the official violated that right, qualified immunity would not apply, and they could be held liable.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately reflect the nature of qualified immunity. For instance, complete immunity from prosecution does not accurately describe qualified immunity, as it only shields officials from civil liability and not from criminal prosecution. Similarly, qualified immunity is not limited to civil cases—its primary application is in civil suits rather than criminal ones. Finally, while qualified immunity applies to government officials, it does not extend to all government officials universally