The Supreme Court on Monday shielded a Vermont police officer from a legal claim that he used excessive force on a protester during a sit-in at the state’s capitol.
The court, in an unsigned opinion, found that Sgt. Jacob Zorn is entitled to qualified immunity after injuring a nonviolent protester in 2015. The protester, Shela Linton, accused Zorn of excessive force after the officer put her arm behind her back, applied pressure and lifted her up. She was unarmed and nonthreatening — though largely noncompliant — throughout the incident, according to court records.
