Scott v. Harris

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Scott v. Harris

Argued February 26, 2007
Decided April 30, 2007

Full case name:	Timothy Scott v. Victor Harris
Docket #:	05-1631

Citations:	550 U.S. ___

Prior history:	Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Holding

Because the car chase respondent initiated posed a substantial and immediate risk of serious physical injury to others, Scott's attempt to terminate the chase by forcing respondent off the road was reasonable, and Scott is entitled to summary judgment.

Court membership

Chief Justice: John Glover Roberts, Jr.
Associate Justices: John Paul Stevens, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito

Case opinions

Majority by: Scalia
Joined by: Roberts, Kennedy, Souter, Thomas, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito
Concurrence by: Ginsburg
Concurrence by: Breyer
Dissent by: Stevens

Scott v. Harris, (05-1631), was a case heard before the United States Supreme Court on February 26, 2007. The case was petitioned by a sheriff's deputy who was sued by a motorist paralyzed after the officer ran his eluding vehicle off the road during a high-speed car chase.^[1] The driver contended that this action was an unreasonable seizure under the Fourth Amendment. The case also involved the question of whether a police officer's qualified immunity shielded him from suit under Section 1983. On April 30, 2007, in an 8-1 decision, the court sided with police and ruled that a "police officer's attempt to terminate a dangerous high-speed car chase that threatens the lives of innocent bystanders does not violate the Fourth Amendment, even when it places the fleeing motorist at risk of serious injury or death. "^[2] In a rare occurrence, the court accepted the presentation of video evidence of the high speed pursuit. Such procedure is quite uncommon in the Supreme Court and was viewed as part of an interesting relationship between the Supreme Court and technology. The video had a strong effect on the Court's decision and is viewed as a major factor in how the court made its decision. ^[3] The author of the opinion, Justice Scalia, in a first-time occurrence ever, posted the video of the car chase online (for access to the video, see external links below).

Justice John Paul Stevens, the lone dissenter, argued that the videotape evidence was not decisive, as the majority claimed it to be, and that a jury should determine if deadly force was justified. He stated a jury should be used, instead of the case "being decided by a group of elderly appellate judges," a reference to himself and his colleagues on the court.^[4]