col·or n: a legal claim to or appearance of a right or authority
threats that gave color to an act of self-defense
— usu. used in the phrase under color of
a police officer held liable for violating the plaintiff's civil rights under color of state law
a second “search” under color of warrant — W. R. LaFave and J. H. Israel
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.