The term reasonableness in use-of-force cases flows from which U.S. Supreme Court case?

• A. Terry v. Ohio
• B. Katz v. United States
• C. Miranda v. Arizona
• D. Graham v. Connor

Answer: (D)

The reasonableness standard in use-of-force cases comes from Graham v. Connor. That decision established that Fourth Amendment reasonableness is judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, using an objective standard and the totality of the circumstances, not with the luxury of hindsight. In practice, this means evaluating whether the force used was appropriate given factors like the seriousness of the suspected crime, the threat posed by the suspect, and whether the suspect was actively resisting or attempting to flee. The core idea is to measure the officer’s actions against how a reasonable officer would act in the same situation, balancing safety and necessity at the moment.

Other choices address different issues: Terry v. Ohio covers stop-and-frisk standards, Katz v. United States concerns privacy expectations during searches, and Miranda v. Arizona deals with warnings and rights during custodial interrogation. These topics are distinct from the use-of-force reasonableness standard established by Graham.