The U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider on Wednesday a woman's civil rights lawsuit over the fatal police shooting of her son during a traffic stop in Houston in a case that could make it easier to hold officers accountable for using excessive force.

The justices suggested a lower court used the wrong test in deciding a Texas officer did not use unconstitutionally excessive force in fatally shooting an unarmed Black man during a 2016 traffic stop.

Ashtian Barnes, an unarmed Black man, was killed by an officer in 2016 after being pulled over outside Houston while driving his girlfriend’s rental car, which had unpaid toll fees.

How the Supreme Court decides the civil rights issue could affect how readily judges dismiss suits against police for improper use of deadly force.

The Supreme Court seems 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 U.S. Supreme Court appeared inclined on Wednesday to revive a Texas woman's civil rights lawsuit against the Houston police officer who fatally shot her son during a traffic stop in a case that could make it easier for plaintiffs to show that police unlawfully used excessive force.

The Supreme Court appeared inclined on Wednesday to revive a Texas woman's civil rights lawsuit against the Houston police officer who fatally shot her son during a traffic stop in a case that could make it easier for plaintiffs to show that police unlawfully used excessive force.