A Pennsylvania Marine who claims he was falsely branded as a cold-blooded murderer by the late U.S. Rep. John Murtha has lost his bid to revive his civil rights suit now that a federal appeals court has ruled that members of Congress are immune from such claims.

In Sharratt v. Murtha , a unanimous three-judge panel found that members of Congress are acting within the scope of their employment when giving media interviews and are therefore protected by qualified immunity.