Sliding Scale

Definition

The United States' proposed framework suggesting that the amount of information officers need before entering varies with the severity of the threatened harm — more severe threats may justify entry with less corroborating evidence. Justice Gorsuch challenged this concept, noting that Brigham City already fixes the severity at serious injury.

Examples

• •The government argued that a credible report of an imminent bomb might require less corroboration than a report of a minor injury

Related Terms