April 1, 2019

Bureaucrat strips child. Downsize DC fights back.

Child stripping! Will the Supremes allow it or bow to Downsize DC’s arguments? Retweet

We want to file a brief asking the Supreme Court to review the case I.B. and Jane Doe v. April Woodard. Here’s the issue…  

A social worker went to a school and stripped a little girl looking for signs of child abuse. She had neither a warrant, nor parental consent, nor did she find evidence of abuse. The parents sued and lost on the grounds of something called qualified immunity.

Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that shields government officials from being sued for actions performed within their official capacity, unless those actions violate “clearly established” federal law or constitutional rights.

Our brief will urge the Supreme Court to take the case (a petition for cert) and to review the justifications for qualified immunity, both in this case and in general. Several justices, regardless of their ideology, have called for such a review in the past. This case is a good chance to meet that need. Plus…

The case is also another good opportunity to uphold the property rights standard of the Fourth Amendment, both in addition to and superior to, the privacy standard.

  • Does a child have a right to keep her naked body private from prying eyes? Yes.
  • Does a child own her body and her clothes such that no government official can violate them? Yes.
  • Would a cop need a warrant to search a child? Yes.
  • Does a social worker likewise need a warrant to conduct a search? Yes.
  • Is it part of a social worker’s job to strip children against their will? No.

Please help us file a brief making these arguments.

We need you to make a one-time contribution or monthly pledge, of any amount from $5 to $199. We’ll email you the completed amicus, after it’s submitted.

Support the Brief

The Supreme Court has highly specific submission requirements. There’s a substantial printing cost due to this specialized process. If (thru Apr. 6) you become a “Doe v Woodard patron” by…

– Make a $200 one-time contribution
OR
– Start a new pledge of $20 or more
OR
– Increase an existing pledge so that it equals $20 or more

…we’ll send a printed copy to your postal mailbox PLUS we’ll recognize you, by name, in an upcoming newsletter.

Produce this Brief

DownsizeDC.org partners with the Downsize DC Foundation (home of the Zero Aggression Project) so that your contributions can be tax-deductible. When you click the button above, you’ll be taken to the Zero Aggression Project contribution form.

Thank you for being an ACTIVE DC Downsizer,

Jim Babka, President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.
& Downsize DC Foundation (home of the Zero Aggression Project)

P.S. A potential patron wishes to protect his privacy. He chooses to send $199 so that his name isn’t put on the public list. There’s no need. On the contribution form, he should check the box on the line that reads, “Please don’t use my support to encourage others to give, by sharing my name on public lists” AND contribute $300 instead!

If your comment is off-topic for this post, please email us at feedback@downsizedc.org

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