In Barnes v. Felix, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the “totality of circumstances” legal approach to evaluating claims of excessive force by local police. This decision vacated and remanded the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal’s use of “moment-of-the-threat,” a narrower window of time when reviewing police officers’ decisions to use force. These two approaches differ on the time snapshot and relevant information needed to assess the reasonableness of an officer’s action. The “moment of threat” looks at the instant, from the officer’s perspective, that led to their use of force. The “totality of circumstances” perspective expands the time horizon under review to encompass a range of preceding actions and events leading up to the officer’s decision to use force to counter a perceived threat. The Supreme Court’s embrace of a broader chronology for assessing legal challenges removed a long-standing circuit split on the issue but sidestepped more controversial consideration of whether the police officer’s own actions may have contributed to this traffic stop’s escalation.