The John Doe Amendment

For those of you who don't know, Rep. Peter King was pushing for an amendment that would have provided protection from being sued to people who make accusations against other flyers. This arises from the flying Imams who were thrown of a plane for acting weird (according to the airline) or for being visibly Muslim (according to the Imams). The Imams are suing.

This amendment would make such lawsuits impossible. And Debra J. Saunders has written an article in support of it.

King wrote the immunity amendment to prevent the chilling effect that a lawsuit might have on passengers who see suspicious behavior, but fear losing their homes -- or being stuck with huge legal bills -- if they report it. After all, citizen involvement could be key in preventing another 9-11 attack.

I don't know though. False accusations could be a problem as well. "Hey that guys brown skinned. I don't want him on my plane, what if he tries to take over?"

But of course false accusations would only be a problem for the accused; and this bill exists to protect the accusers. The accused are on their own.