PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (July 17, 2018 ) – Last week, a Philadelphia Appeals Court ruled that TSA agents cannot be sued for molesting or falsely arresting air travelers.
According to an article in Yahoo News the government has granted DHS employees immunity from lawsuits.
“In a 2-1 vote, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia said Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners were not “investigative or law enforcement officers,” and were therefore shielded from liability under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA).”
You might want to be sure you read the rest of this story on an empty stomach.
The Appeals Court majority claimed to be “sympathetic” to American’s civil rights.
The majority said it was “sympathetic” to concerns that its decision would leave fliers with “very limited legal redress” for alleged mistreatment by aggressive or overzealous screeners, which adds to the ordinary stresses of air travel.
What this means is that Americans will no longer see headlines like these.
- TSA Agent Arrested for Sexually Molesting South Korean Woman at NYC’s LaGuardia Airport
- TSA agent captured allegedly groping travelers he found attractive
- TSA has no excuse to continue the groping
Yesterday’s ruling will make it extremely hard to win a lawsuit against a TSA agent.
Appeals Court allows DHS/TSA to falsely arrest Americans
Wednesday’s decision was a defeat for Nadine Pellegrino, a business consultant from Boca Raton, Florida. She and her husband had sued for false arrest, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution over a July 2006 altercation at Philadelphia International Airport.
If this ruling doesn’t make Americans stand up and demand a change then expect things to get worse, much worse.
The courts have essentially allowed DHS to do whatever it wants, even if that means creating a watch list of complainers.
Two months ago the New York Times warned Americans that the TSA is creating a watch list of anyone that complains about being groped.
A five-page directive obtained by The New York Times said actions that pose a physical danger to security screeners — or other contact that the agency described as “offensive and without legal justification” — could land travelers on the watch list, which was created in February and is also known as a “95 list.”
It is time to face reality, the courts are working with the Federal Government to destroy the Bill of Rights.
Everyone’s rights are being threatened when government agents are allowed to molest and falsely arrest people.
This article was originally published at MassPrivatel, a website dedicated to privacy, homeland ‘insecurity,’ civil rights and criminal justice issues.
I took up investigative blogging because there are very few independent reporters left in our country.
I am also a member of the Digital Fourth. (https://warrantless.org/)
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