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James Griffiths, Individually and as Employee of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority v. Rita Keith, Individually and as the Natural Parent of Arthur Keith and as Administrator of the Estate of Arthur Keith, Deceased
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, No. 24-3444 · judgment June 6, 2025
Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.
Questions presented
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Whether a police officer must wait until an armed, fleeing suspect turns and points his gun at the officer before using deadly force where, as here, the suspect refuses to comply with an officer’s commands to drop his weapon, and proceeds to flee with the gun in his hand and could, at any moment, turn and fire upon the officer in a split second.
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Whether the court of appeals violated existing Supreme Court precedent by merely citing the general rule in defining a clearly established right, and by failing to identify any case where an officer acting under similar circumstances was held to have violated the Fourth Amendment. (i)
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Stephen William Funk
Roetzel & Andress , L.P.A.
For respondent
Samuel Lydell Starks
Starks Law Firm
Case
Conference history
Distributed for 17 conferences
Amicus briefs
1 cert-stage
Proceedings
- Jun 29 2026Petition DENIED.
- Jun 22 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/25/2026.
- Jun 17 2026Rescheduled.
- Jun 15 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/18/2026.
- Jun 10 2026Rescheduled.
- Jun 08 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/11/2026.
- Jun 03 2026Rescheduled.
- Jun 01 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/4/2026.
- May 27 2026Rescheduled.
- May 26 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/28/2026.
- May 20 2026Rescheduled.
- May 18 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/21/2026.
- May 11 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/14/2026.
- May 11 2026Rescheduled.
- Apr 29 2026Rescheduled.
- Apr 27 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/1/2026.
- Apr 22 2026Rescheduled.
- Apr 20 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/24/2026.
- Apr 16 2026Rescheduled.
- Apr 13 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/17/2026.
- Mar 31 2026Rescheduled.
- Mar 30 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/2/2026.
- Mar 26 2026Rescheduled.
- Mar 23 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/27/2026.
- Mar 19 2026Rescheduled.
- Mar 16 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/20/2026.
- Mar 04 2026Rescheduled.
- 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 04 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/20/2026.
- Feb 02 2026Reply of petitioner James Griffiths filed. (Distributed)
- Jan 21 2026Brief of respondent Rita Keith in opposition filed.
- Dec 19 2025Motion to extend the time to file a response from December 22, 2025 to January 21, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Dec 19 2025Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including January 21, 2026.
- Nov 20 2025Response Requested. (Due December 22, 2025)
- Nov 12 2025DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/5/2025.
- Oct 27 2025Brief amicus curiae of National Fraternal Order of Police filed.
- Sep 24 2025Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 27, 2025)