No, it was designed to shield law enforcement officers violating the Ku Klux Klan Act from legitimate lawsuits. See [1], which is the case where it started. Qua

No, it was designed to shield law enforcement officers violating the Ku Klux Klan Act from legitimate lawsuits. See [1], which is the case where it started. Qualified immunity is only relevant when the lawsuit is not frivolous anyway... 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierson_v._Ray https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierson_v._Ray