Constitutional Law
Aug. 30, 2001
Royal Mess
Developed over centuries, the common-law doctrine of "sovereign immunity" provided that "you can't sue the king." This basic doctrine, premised on the theory that it was the "right divine of kings to govern wrong," Chafor v. City of Long Beach , 174 Cal. 478 (1917), has been extended such that, under a number of different governmental-immunity defenses, no action is permitted against a state or its political subdivisions.
Developed over centuries, the common-law doctrine of "sovereign immunity" provided that "you can't sue the king." This basic doctrine, premised on the theory that it was the "right divine of kings to govern wrong," Chafor v. City of Long Beach, 174 Cal. 478 (1917), has been extended such that, under a number of different gover...
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