Barnes v. Felix
Decided May 15, 2025. Elena Kagan delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 23-1239 · 605 U.S. 73 (2025) · Cited 122 times
Holding
The Fifth Circuit’s moment-of-threat rule—a framework for evaluating police shootings which requires a court to look only to the circumstances existing at the precise time an officer perceived the threat inducing him to shoot—improperly narrows the Fourth Amendment analysis of police use of force.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court. Read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 9–0.
Majority · 9
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Clarence Thomas
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Elena Kagan · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Neil M. Gorsuch
- Brett M. Kavanaugh · filed a concurring opinion
- Amy Coney Barrett
- Ketanji Brown Jackson
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Graham v. Connor · 490 U.S. 386 (1989)
- Plumhoff v. Rickard · 572 U.S. 765 (2014)
- Tennessee v. Garner · 471 U.S. 1 (1985)
- Scott v. Harris · 550 U.S. 372 (2007)
- County of Los Angeles v. Mendez · 581 U.S. 420 (2017)
- Lange v. California · 594 U.S. 295 (2021)
- Pennsylvania v. Mimms · 434 U.S. 106 (1977)
- Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of County of Burlington · 566 U.S. 318 (2012)
- Kingsley v. Hendrickson · 576 U.S. 389 (2015)
- Michigan v. Long · 463 U.S. 1032 (1983)
- United States v. Robinson · 414 U.S. 218 (1973)
- Brigham City v. Stuart · 547 U.S. 398 (2006)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
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Elena Kagan’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2025). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).