Sovereign immunity refers to which concept?

• A. The doctrine that the government is immune to lawsuit unless it gives its consent. The doctrine originated with the maxim 'that kind can do no wrong'.
• B. Immunity of a private company from governmental regulation
• C. Immunity of individuals from arrest
• D. Immunity of local governments from charter requirements

Answer: (A)

Sovereign immunity means the government cannot be sued unless it consents to be liable. This principle comes from the old idea that the sovereign cannot commit a legal wrong and therefore cannot be sued without permission. In practice, governments can waive immunity or be subjected to liability through statutes or specific legal processes. The other options describe protections that do not address the government’s liability to be sued: one talks about a private company and regulation, another about individuals’ arrest rights, and the last misstates charter requirements as a basis for immunity.