The U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected the 5th Circuit's flawed 'moment of threat' doctrine, which forced judges to evaluate police use of deadly force based only on an instantaneous moment rather than the totality of circumstances. In the case of Ashtian Barnes, who was fatally shot by Officer Roberto Felix, the court ruled that only the moment Felix fired mattered, ignoring the broader context of the incident. The unanimous decision emphasizes that reasonableness must be assessed in context, reaffirming the Fourth Amendment principles.
"The 5th Circuit told courts to ignore everything but the instant an officer claimed to need to use deadly force."
"Justice Elena Kagan restored the basic principle that reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment cannot be measured in a blink."
Collection
[
|
...
]