(Reuters) A U.S. appeals court said three Muslim men cannot sue FBI agents after being placed on the “No Fly List” for refusing to become government informants.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the 16 agents were protected by qualified immunity, despite their “improper behavior” and the three men’s belief that Muslims in the United States had been unfairly targeted.
Circuit Judge Gerard Lynch wrote for a three-judge panel that the agents had no reason to believe they were violating the men’s religious beliefs, because none of the men had told them so during their interactions.
Qualified immunity shields federal officials from liability for violating constitutional rights that were not clearly established at the time of the violation.
