The phrase "a brush with authority" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a brief encounter or experience with someone in a position of power or control, often implying a sense of tension or conflict.
Example: "After his reckless behavior at the party, he had a brush with authority when the police showed up to break it up."
Alternatives: "a run-in with authority" or "an encounter with authority".
Ms. Johnson had a brush with the authorities last December, shortly after her second daughter was born, when another young woman who lived in Ms. Nyack's house accused her of assaulting Shantel, a law enforcement official said.
On December 17th, 2010, an exasperated Mohammed Bouazizi set himself alight in an ultimate act of protest after a brush with local authorities.
Parkour is a potent temptation for suburban teenagers: it's cheap and a little risky, and it requires an occasional brush with authority.
Often, in discussions with Islamic militants, anger over Israel or Iraq or Bosnia spills over into a recounting of more personal experiences, sometimes trifling, sometimes not, in which encounters with America -- time spent working in menial jobs or studying in the United States, or a brush with United States immigration authorities -- stirred resentments that became a trigger for antagonism.
After a brush with the immigration authorities (she was 18; they asked her if she'd heard of the Mann Act), and after the failure of the consequent marriage, she began to revel in the immigrant experience: working for the minimum wage she was at last one of the working poor, and legitimate heir to the proud traditions of American progressivism.
Edward's brush with authority was merely a prelude to our second disappointment at the Capitol.
Dembélé is known as a mild-mannered character and his only previous brush with authority during his time in England was the harsh red card that he received for his previous club, Fulham, in a Europa League tie at Wisla Krakow in 2011.
King's latest brush with authority is thought to be his first as a member of the Jamaica side.
Pardew's latest brush with authority took the gloss off what should have been remembered as a handsome 4-1 win for Newcastle.
During Lawson's editorship, Watkins had his first serious brush with authority when, in 1967, he published two D (for defence) Notices in his column – hitherto secret documents warning newspapers what they could (not) print on security grounds.
