WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the mother of a black man to kill black man after a routine traffic stop in Houston, proposing too much force to police officers who shot.
The Justice’s allegations against the lower court are focused only on momentary power, not the moments that lead to momentary moments.
"Today, we reject this approach," Judge Elena Kagan wrote for a unanimous court. “To assess a reasonable action taken by an official in the use of force, the court must consider all relevant circumstances, including facts and events resulting from the climax.”
Ashtian Barnes, 24, was killed in April 2016 when the vehicle he was driving began to advance while speaking to the officer.
Roberto Felix Jr. Barnes died at the scene.
The ruling means that the civil rights lawsuit filed by Barnes' mother Janice Hughes can now move on. She claimed Felix used too much force to violate the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.
The court dismissed the so-called "moment of threat doctrine" in its ruling Hughes, which made it clear to courts across the country that events leading to the use of lethal force must be considered when evaluating claims.
The court reiterated the existing precedent, which stated that the “overall situation” must be considered.
The ruling removes the obstacles to making such claims, but Hughes may still face a tough battle.
Even if the lower court finally allows her case to move forward, it will not affect Felix's ability to invoke a qualified immune defense, protecting police defense if it is not "clearly determined" that his actions are illegal at the time of the incident.
Hughes said in a January interview with NBC News that she was litigating because she wanted people to know “my son is the victim.”
She added that five years after George Floyd's death, another black man killed by police "no one is supervising the police."
Despite the lower court's ruling against Hughes, both the District Court and the judges on the Fifth Circuit of New Orleans said that the moments of threat doctrine adopted by certain courts that limit the consideration of the moment of use of force is wrong and should be overturned.
Barnes also filed a separate claim against the police department, which was not directly before the Supreme Court.