A federal judge in New Mexico dismissed a significant portion of actor Alec Baldwin’s civil rights lawsuit on Wednesday, ruling that prosecutors involved in the aborted “Rust” involuntary manslaughter case are protected by absolute prosecutorial immunity. U.S. District Judge Kea Riggs acknowledged that Baldwin’s allegations depict a “very disturbing picture” of prosecutorial conduct, but concluded that the doctrine shields officials from civil liability even in hard cases involving gross misconduct.
Dismissal of Prosecutorial Claims
Judge Riggs ruled that special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and other legal officials are shielded from retaliation claims related to their trial duties. In her written decision, the judge stated that it is sometimes necessary to leave the wrongs of an allegedly dishonest prosecutor unredressed rather than subjecting public officials to the constant dread of retaliation. The involuntary manslaughter trial against Baldwin was abruptly terminated in July 2024 when the presiding judge dismissed the charge upon discovering that Morrissey and her team had withheld crucial evidence from the defense.
Baldwin’s civil complaint alleged a pattern of severe abuses by the prosecution, including presenting false information to a grand jury, failing to disclose two separate firearms reports, and filing an unlawful gun enhancement. The defendants in the dismissed portion of the lawsuit included Morrissey, who led the trial; Mary Carmack-Altwies, the elected district attorney in Santa Fe; and Andrea Reeb, an originally appointed special prosecutor who later withdrew from the case.
Surviving Claims and Ongoing Litigation
While the core prosecutorial actions are protected, Judge Riggs allowed specific claims to move forward. Prosecutors do not enjoy absolute immunity when acting in an investigative capacity rather than a strictly legal one. The state did not seek to dismiss allegations regarding Morrissey’s statements to the media or her agreement to log a cache of bullets under a separate case number, an action that functionally hid them from the defense.
“Accordingly, any claims based on these allegations survive this stage of litigation,” Judge Riggs wrote. Baldwin’s legal team has previously noted that Morrissey remains a defendant for these remaining matters. Meanwhile, separate claims filed by Baldwin against Santa Fe County and several sheriff’s investigators under New Mexico and federal civil rights laws remain pending, with the county’s motions to dismiss still awaiting a judicial ruling.
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