A federal appeals court ruled that a Texas woman can't sue two Santa Fe police officers who pinned her face down on a fire ant hill while she was handcuffed, causing her to receive hundreds of painful bites to her face.
In an August 6 opinion, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reversed a lower court decision allowing Taylor Rogers' lawsuit against the City of Santa Fe and the two officers to move forward. Instead, the panel held that the officers were shielded from her claims under the doctrine of qualified immunity.
In a press conference last Friday, Rogers' attorney, Randy Kallinen, criticized the ruling.
"The United States 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is out of touch with the Constitution and the public, granting police immunity in the most egregious of cases," Kallinen said. "The people need to elect officials who will nominate and affirm judges loyal to the Constitution."
Kallinen told The Daily News that he has requested an en banc hearing for the full 15-member 5th Circuit to review the case, and he'll petition the Supreme Court for review if that fails.

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