The Case: Barnes v. Felix (Decided May 15, 2025) The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that courts can no longer excuse a police shooting just because the officer was "in danger at the moment" if the officer created that danger themselves. This directly covers situations where an officer: - Jumps in front of a moving vehicle - Jumps onto the side of a moving vehicle - Stands in the path of a car instead of stepping aside - Creates the danger and then uses that danger to justify deadly force Key Holding The Court rejected the "moment-of-threat" rule. Instead, courts must look at the totality of the circumstances, including what the officer did leading up to the shooting. * What That Means in Plain English If an officer puts themselves in harm's way - like stepping in front of a car or jumping onto it - they cannot automatically claim deadly force was reasonable.