COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A recent ruling by the United States Supreme Court has forced two high-profile, central Ohio homicide cases to reschedule their respective trial dates.

The trial date for both a Blendon Township police officer accused of killing a pregnant woman in a grocery store parking lot and a Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a Black man have been rescheduled.

The reasoning behind both, according to a Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge, was due to a U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case Barnes v. Felix, which looked at whether courts should apply the “moment of threat doctrine” when evaluating lawsuits filed under the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens from excessive force by law enforcement.

The moment of threat doctrine is a legal concept that has been adopted in certain regions of the country. It asserts officers should be judged only based on the precise moment they perceive an immediate threat and disregard their previous actions.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that courts should examine the circumstances beyond the split seconds when an officer fears for their safety in deciding whether they can be tried for unreasonable force. The so-called “moment of the threat” doctrine should not always be applied in every case, instead directing courts to review the “totality of the circumstances.”

In January, defense attorneys for Jason Meade, a former Franklin County sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Casey Goodson Jr., successfully requested a delay in his second criminal trial to await direction from the Barnes v. Felix decision. The first trial was declared a mistrial.

Jason Meade (center) with co-counsel Kaitlyn Stephens and Steve Nolder appear in a status hearing in Franklin County Court of Common Please, May 21, 2025. (NBC4)

The case schedule has been adjusted as follows: Expert reports are now due by Sept. 2, while a special pool will be brought in Dec. 5, with the jury trial set to begin Dec. 8.

Walton and Brown, LLP, a law firm representing Goodson’s family, condemned the postponement.

“These delays are not merely procedural; they inflict profound emotional trauma and deny the family the closure they deserve,” the firm said in a statement in January. “While justice has been delayed, it cannot and will not be denied.”

Connor Grubb (center) and his defense attorney Kaitlyn Stephens (left) at a status hearing on May 21, 2025 in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. (NBC4)

The decision also caused a delay in another upcoming use-of-force trial in Franklin County. The trial for Connor Grubb, an officer who fatally shot Ta’Kiya Young in the parking lot of a Kroger, has also been pushed back, much to the dismay of Nadine Young, Ta’Kiya’s grandmother.

In a status hearing Wednesday, Judge David Young reviewed the timetable in the state’s case against officer Connor Grubb, who is facing four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Nadine Young reacts to a delay in the case against Connor Grubb, who fatally shot Ta’Kiya Young in a Kroger Parking lot in 2023. On May 21, 2025 , the trial date was rescheduled for October due to a recent United States Supreme Court ruling. (NBC4)

The original trial date, set for July 14, has been converted into a hearing on general motions. Expert reports are to be filed by Aug. 1, with motions regarding those reports to be filed by Aug. 15. The judge will respond to said motions by Aug. 22, with an expected hearing on the motions to be heard on Aug. 25. A special jury pool will commence on Oct. 30, with a trial date set for Nov. 3.

“I was hoping for justice in July and it’s really upsetting for me and the family to know that Connor Grubb is still getting paid administrative leave for killing my granddaughter and her baby,” Nadine Young said. “He’s got 10 charges; he’s never been fired and it’s just really hurtful.”