Reports that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn one of its major precedents recently gripped much of the country. Today, the high court effectively did just that.

Except it wasn't Roe v. Wade—the case that established a constitutional right to an abortion—that the justices declared null. It was a different early-1970s precedent with far-reaching implications for anyone who has their rights violated by federal government agents.

Going forward, such victims will essentially have no recourse against those rogue actors. A federal badge will now serve as an impenetrable shield against civil liability for violating the same laws agents are charged with upholding.