Federal courts have ruled that entering the “secured area” constitutes consent to be screened. The courts have also found to date that anything TSA does as a matter of policy is considered “reasonable.”. So, if you consent to be screened, and then assault the screener, it’s pretty much impossible to claim self defense unless you can somehow prove the screening you received was intended to be an attack.

I think the only way you might be able to prove such intent would be with video showing multiple TSA screeners holding you down and pulling your clothes off. Even then, it might not work. TSA suffered no consequences when a Senator’s teenage niece had her top pulled off, exposing her breasts to the entire screening area.