Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
Officer Phillip Reinink, in His Individual and Official Capacity v. Sean Hart, et al.
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, No. 23-1382 · judgment May 15, 2025
Before the decision, modestly above the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for counsel with five or more prior petitions here, a petition filed soon after the judgment below, and a Sixth Circuit decision below.
Questions presented
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In the Fourth Amendment reasonableness of a seizure context, whether a law enforcement officer’s intended level of force is relevant to determining whether an officer’s use-of-force should be analyzed under a deadly-use-of-force standard or a general useof-force standard?
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In analyzing an excessive force claim brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, whether an officer’s mistaken use-of-force was higher than what he or she intended, entitles the officer to qualified immunity, so long as the mistake is reasonable under the circumstances?
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Michael Thomas Berger
Rosati Schultz Joppich & Amtsbuecher, P.C.
For respondent
Christopher Patrick Desmond
Ven Johnson Law, PLC
Case
Subject area
Civil Rights (estimated from the questions presented, in the Supreme Court Database’s categories)
Conference history
Distributed for 13 conferences
Order
Order list, May 26, 2026 · Certiorari denied
Proceedings
- May 26 2026Petition DENIED. Justice Thomas and Justice Alito would grant the petition and summarily reverse for essentially the reasons given in Judge Larsen’s separate opinion. See Hart v. Grand Rapids, 138 F. 4th 409, 426–428 (CA6 2025).
- May 18 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/21/2026.
- May 11 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/14/2026.
- Apr 27 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/1/2026.
- Apr 20 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/24/2026.
- Apr 13 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/17/2026.
- Mar 30 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/2/2026.
- Mar 23 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/27/2026.
- Mar 16 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/20/2026.
- Mar 02 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/6/2026.
- Feb 26 2026Rescheduled.
- Feb 23 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/27/2026.
- Feb 19 2026Rescheduled.
- Feb 13 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/20/2026.
- Jan 21 2026Rescheduled.
- Jan 07 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/23/2026.
- Jan 02 2026Reply of petitioner Phillip Reinink filed.
- Dec 17 2025Brief of respondents Sean Hart, et al. in opposition filed.
- Dec 02 2025Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including December 17, 2025.
- Dec 01 2025Motion to extend the time to file a response from December 3, 2025 to December 17, 2025, submitted to The Clerk.
- Nov 03 2025Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including December 3, 2025.
- Oct 31 2025Motion to extend the time to file a response from November 3, 2025 to December 3, 2025, submitted to The Clerk.
- Oct 03 2025Response Requested. (Due November 3, 2025)
- Sep 17 2025DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/10/2025.
- Sep 15 2025Waiver of right of respondent Sean Hart, et al. to respond filed.
- Aug 11 2025Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due September 15, 2025)