Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court determined that an objective reasonableness standard should apply to a civilian's claim that law enforcement officials used excessive force in the course of making an arrest, investigatory stop, or other "seizure" of his or her person.

[1] In the ensuing confusion, a number of other Charlotte police officers arrived on the scene in response to Connor's request for backup.

"[1] During the police encounter, Graham suffered a broken foot, cuts on his wrists, a bruised forehead, and an injured shoulder.

[1] The outcome of the case was the creation of an "objective reasonableness test" in examining an officer's actions.

The Court then explained, "As in other Fourth Amendment contexts... the "reasonableness" inquiry in an excessive force case is an objective one: the question is whether the officers' actions are 'objectively reasonable' in light of the facts and circumstances confronting them, without regard to their underlying intent or motivation".

The Court then outlined a non-exhaustive list of factors to determine when an officer's use of force is objectively reasonable: "the severity of the crime at issue," "whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others," and "whether he is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight".

Graham v. Connor was also repeatedly cited by both the prosecution and defense in State v. Chauvin regarding the murder of George Floyd, including by University of South Carolina professor Seth Stoughton,[4] who compiled a 100-page report on the case as a prosecution expert.