The Supreme Court Justices

The Supreme Court has reportedly revived a civil rights lawsuit against Texas police Officer Roberto Felix Jr. The lawsuit followed the shooting of Ashtian Barnes during a traffic stop for unpaid tolls. The case centered on events in 2016 on the Sam Houston Tollway and was sent back to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for reevaluation.

The Court unanimously revived the lawsuit and rejected the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' use of the "moment-of-threat" doctrine. Instead, the Court held that courts must consider the "totality of the circumstances." The case was vacated and remanded to the 5th Circuit for reevaluation under this broader standard. In this photo gallery, we review the change.

Lansing Police pull over a vehicle

Officer Felix shot Barnes when he jumped onto the driver’s side of Barnes’ rental car as it began to pull away from the stop. Felix claimed he feared for his life during the encounter.

Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch

Justice Elena Kagan ruled that courts must consider the “totality of the circumstances” in civil rights lawsuits against officers, which could favor plaintiffs in excessive force cases.

Milwaukee Police Department cars

Lower courts dismissed the excessive force lawsuit filed by Barnes’ mother, Janice Hughes, as they assessed Felix’s actions based solely on the immediate threat he perceived.

Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan and John Roberts

During the incident, Barnes was reportedly driving to pick up his girlfriend’s daughter from daycare.

Las Cruces Police make a traffic stop

Officer Felix stopped Barnes after receiving a radio message about unpaid tolls linked to the rental car. Barnes was allegedly unaware of the unpaid tolls since his girlfriend had rented it.

Roger Anderson covers U.S. politics & news for content partner Modern Newsstand LLC.