U.S. Supreme Court Case Could Affect Murder Trial of Ohio Officer

A U.S. Supreme Court case will determine what should be legally considered when deciding if a police officer’s use of force is justified. Upcoming trials in central Ohio could be largely impacted by the decision.

The pending Supreme Court case, Barnes v. Felix, specifically looks at whether courts should apply the “moment of threat doctrine” when evaluating lawsuits filed under the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens from excessive force by law enforcement, NBC4 reports.

While Barnes v. Felix focuses on civil matters, the legal reasoning in the ruling could provide guidance for criminal cases. This month, defense attorneys for Jason Meade, a former Franklin County sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Casey Goodson Jr., successfully requested a delay for his criminal trial to await direction from the Barnes v. Felix decision.

“The Supreme Court’s decision will have an effect on basically every use of force case, whether it’s lethal or nonlethal,” said Mark Collins, one of Meade’s defense attorneys. “We know some guidance is coming. So the best course of action for all parties is to wait to see what the new guidance is so that we do it properly.”

Walton and Brown, LLP, a law firm representing Goodson’s family, condemned the postponement.