On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that police officers can refuse to enforce a restraining order and that they cannot be prosecuted if their inaction results in death.
From a press release issued yesterday by the National Organization for Women:
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This is a truly outrageous decision—the U.S. Supreme Court just hung a 'shoot here' sign around the necks of battered women and their children all across the country," said NOW President Kim Gandy.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled in a 7 to 2 decision that police officers are exempt from legal action, even if their refusal to enforce a valid restraining order results in death. The decision in Castle Rock v. Gonzales said Jessica Gonzales did not have a constitutional right to police enforcement of the court order issued against her abusive estranged husband. Gonzales sued the town of Castle Rock, Colo., after she repeatedly pleaded with police to enforce the restraining order against her husband, who had kidnapped their three young daughters. The girls were eventually found dead inside his truck.
"Abusers may feel they have a green light to ignore restraining orders, and police departments under budget restraints could see domestic violence enforcement as a 'no penalty' area to cut resources," Gandy said.
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[Read the full release.]
So now a restraining order isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
For all the talk about homeland security, the U.S. homeland just became a lot less secure for women and children and anyone else who may feel threatened to the point of seeking a court-issued restraining order.
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