What does qualified immunity protect government officials from?

Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that shields government officials from being held personally liable for civil damages when they are performing their official duties, provided their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights that a reasonable person would have known. This means that if a government official performs their duties without violating established rights, they cannot be sued for civil damages—even if their actions are later shown to be wrongful or unconstitutional.

In this context, the protection provided by qualified immunity specifically pertains to civil damages for actions that could be deemed to infringe upon individuals' rights. If the rights violated were not clearly established at the time of the official’s actions, qualified immunity will typically apply.

Other options do not accurately encapsulate what qualified immunity safeguards. For instance, the notion of protecting against criminal prosecution is outside the scope of qualified immunity; officials can still be held criminally accountable for illegal actions. Employment discrimination is also subject to different legal frameworks and does not fall under the protection of qualified immunity. Lastly, while civil liability concerning personal judgments may arise in various contexts, qualified immunity specifically applies to actions taken in the course of official duties and within a certain legal framework.