WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed inclined to revive a civil rights lawsuit against the Texas police officer who shot a man to death during a traffic stop in Houston over unpaid tolls.
The justices appeared to be in broad agreement that the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should take another look at the case of Ashtian Barnes, who died in his rental car in April 2016 on the shoulder of the Sam Houston Tollway.
Barnes was shot by the officer, Roberto Felix Jr., who jumped on the sill of the driver's door of Barnes' car as it began to pull away from the stop. Felix fired twice in two seconds because he “reasonably feared for his life,” his lawyers wrote in their Supreme Court brief.
Lower courts had dismissed the excessive force lawsuit filed against Felix by Barnes' mother, Janice Hughes. The issue before the justices is whether those lower courts used the right standard, evaluating Felix's actions only at the “moment of the threat” that caused him to shoot Barnes.
Lawyers for Hughes and the Justice Department said courts should use a wider lens, the “totality of the circumstances,” to evaluate the suit against Felix.
Taking all the circumstances into account, courts would find that Felix acted unreasonably by jumping onto the side of Barnes' car, Nathaniel Zelinsky, Hughes' lawyer, told the court.
The justices appeared headed for a narrow ruling that might simply say “the two-second rule is not the law,” Justice Neil Gorsuch said.
The Supreme Court’s decision could help clarify the standard judges apply nationwide, but it might not ultimately help Hughes. Even if Felix ultimately is found to have violated Barnes’ rights, the officer probably would be shielded from financial liability by a separate high court standard known as qualified immunity.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh posed several questions in which he appeared worried that a win for Hughes could make life more dangerous for police officers during traffic stops, when they might have to make decisions in a matter of seconds.
“The officer does not get the time we spent here today making the decision,” Kavanaugh said.
Barnes had been driving to pick up his girlfriend's daughter from day care when he was pulled over by Felix, who received a radio message that the license plate on Barnes' car had unpaid tolls associated with it. Barnes' girlfriend had rented the car and Barnes was unaware of the outstanding tolls, according to court records.
In siding with the officer, 5th Circuit Judge Patrick Higginbotham voiced regret that a “routine traffic stop has again ended in the death of an unarmed Black man.”
A decision is expected by early summer.
This story has been corrected to reflect that the last name of Janice Hughes' lawyer is Zelinsky, not Zelensky
From left, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson listen as President Donald Trump speaks during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP)
FILE - The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told global leaders to “keep the pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin to back a ceasefire in Ukraine.
In his opening remarks Saturday to a virtual gathering of what he has termed the “coalition of the willing,” Starmer said Putin will “sooner or later” have to “come to the table.”
Unlike the first summit on March 2, the meeting of what Starmer has termed the “coalition of the willing” is being conducted virtually. The call is expected to delve into how countries can help Ukraine militarily and financially as well as gauging support for any future possible peacekeeping mission.
“If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious, and enduring peace," Starmer told leaders, in remarks released by his office ahead of the meeting. “If they don’t, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war.”
Like last time, there will be no representative from the United States, which has shifted its approach on the war since the return of President Donald Trump to the White House. The change of approach relative to that taken by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, became particularly notable after Trump clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Feb. 28 in the Oval Office.
Saturday's meeting takes place in the wake of a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, which Zelenskyy has backed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that he supported a truce in principle but has set out a host of details that need to be clarified before agreeing to a ceasefire. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has voiced “cautious optimism” about the possibility of Putin, who met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, on Thursday, backing a ceasefire.
Starmer appears to be less optimistic, and is telling leaders that concrete commitments are required now as Putin plays “pointless games” with Trump’s peace plan.
“Putin is trying to delay, saying there must be a painstaking study before a ceasefire can take place. But the world needs to see action, not a study, or empty words and pointless conditions,” Starmer said. “The Kremlin’s complete disregard for President Trump’s ceasefire proposal only serves to demonstrate that Putin is not serious about peace.”
Starmer has taken the lead, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, in assembling the “coalition of the willing” in part to persuade Trump to maintain support for Kyiv. One outcome has already been a growing acceptance from European countries in particular that they need to do more secure their own security, including by increasing their defense spending.
Macron said he had spoken Friday with both Zelenskyy and Starmer about progress at the U.S.-Ukraine talks earlier this week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which led to Trump resuming military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Saturday's meeting, he said, will "continue to work on reinforcing the support for Ukraine and toward a solid and lasting peace.”
Ukraine, under severe military pressure on parts of the front line three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, has already endorsed the truce proposal. Russia’s army has gained battlefield momentum, and analysts say Putin likely will be reluctant to rush into a ceasefire while he feels he has an advantage.
“My message to the Kremlin could not be clearer: stop the barbaric attacks on Ukraine, once and for all, and agree to a ceasefire now,” Starmer said.
French President Emmanuel Macron, second left, , shakes hands with Colonel-General Ruslan Khomchak, First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, as French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, right, and Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces Thierry Burkhard, left, look on during a meeting on the conflict in Ukraine at the Musee de la Marine as part of the Paris Defense and Strategy Forum in Paris, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro during their talks via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 14, 2025. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, March 14, 2025, Russian soldiers ride atop of self-propelled gun at an area in the Kursk region of Russia after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, March 14, 2025, a Russian soldier rises a red flag atop of a house at an area in the Kursk region of Russia after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer gestures during a Q&A session after delivering a speech on plans to reform the civil service, during a visit to Reckitt Benckiser Health Care UK Ltd in Kingston upon Hull, England, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Oli Scarff/Pool Photo via AP)
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer departs 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament in London, England, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
