Do you need some cheering up for your coming weekend? Would a cup of schadenfreude hit the spot? Well, we’ve got some great news for your.
The US Supreme Court sent SEVEN gun ban related appeals to a May 16th conference for deliberations. At that conference, SCOTUS could opt to accept the writs of certiorari from some or all of the cases. The common thinking is that if they accept multiple cases that they will be consolidated.
Six of the seven cases come from Illinois. And then there’s the Bianchi case out of Maryland.
The Illinois cases are GOA v. Raoul (this is the case where Guns Save Life is a co-plaintiff), Herrel v. Raoul, Herrera v. Raoul, Barnett v. Raoul, NAGR v Naperville (known by many as the Bevis case), and Langley v. Kelly.
Last fall, a three-judge panel of the federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to ignore the Heller and Bruen SCOTUS decisions. The panel held that Land of Lincoln’s gun and magazine ban is likely constitutional under a new “kissin’ cousins” test they dreamed up. What is the “Kissin’ Cousins” test? In so many words, if it looks like a gun the military uses then it can be regulated or banned.
The Center Square has the story:
Cases challenging gun and magazine bans, including several lawsuits from Illinois, have been distributed for an upcoming conference of the U.S. Supreme Court.
After Illinois banned more than 170 semi-automatic firearms and magazines over certain capacities in January 2023, federal lawsuits were filed. Appeals of separate preliminary actions against the law were shot down by the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals last year. Plaintiffs in February asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court moved several Illinois cases, and one challenging Maryland’s ban, to conference for May 16, 2024.
“It’s very significant because we’ve been trying very hard to get a case to the Supreme Court dealing with these issues and I think now we’re going to get there,” the Second Amendment Foundation’s Alan Gottlieb told The Center Square.
Gottlieb expects if the court does take the cases, they will be consolidated.
“The end of the month is realistic to find out,” he said. “And, it may happen in June.”
Great news indeed. Savor it.
I will do a happy dance to that!
Ho-boy! I agree we all could use some good news, but be sure to temper your hopes. Bianchi is a *maybe* at best, but unlikely. Single digit probability. The other six Illinois cases? Not a chance. Those are all still in interlocutory status. There’s no way they’d touch those and break SCOTUS protocol. If they did, the media would pounce on that, pour nitro all over it and set it ablaze all through the process and after the decision if it goes our way. But perhaps those were all thrown in as persuasion that these 2A cases are piling up and they need to address something once and for all, which may make Bianchi a little more enticing to take up? If that works, I just hope that the Bianchi case doesn’t have ANY holes in it for ACB and the Chief to wiggle through and find a way to waffle to the other side.