The U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider on Wednesday a woman's civil rights lawsuit over the fatal police shooting of her son during a traffic stop in Houston in a case that could make it easier to hold officers accountable for using excessive force.

Ashtian Barnes, an unarmed Black man, was killed by an officer in 2016 after being pulled over outside Houston while driving his girlfriend’s rental car, which had unpaid toll fees.

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared inclined on Wednesday to revive a Texas woman's civil rights lawsuit against the Houston police officer who fatally shot her son during a traffic stop in a case that could make it easier for plaintiffs to show that police unlawfully used excessive force.