Neil M. Gorsuch was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week to become a Supreme Court justice, and he is likely to have an immediate impact on cases regarding the Second Amendment.
The Senate voted 54 to 45 on Friday to confirm Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. As soon as Gorsuch is sworn in, he will join the court for the final months of its term, which ends in June. Gorsuch’s nomination was hailed by gun-rights activists. Click here to see our previous coverage.
Within the week, Gorsuch will join his new colleagues in considering whether to hear two lower-court defeats being appealed by gun-rights organizations. That will likely happen at Gorsuch’s first private conference with his new colleagues Thursday, when the court meets to decide whether to accept a long list of cases for the term that begins next fall.
For gun-rights activists, the most important issue is a petition asking the court to decide if the Second Amendment right to keep a gun for self-defense extends to carrying firearms outside the home.
In a case from California, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that it did not. “Any prohibition or restriction a state may choose to impose on concealed carry—including a requirement of ‘good cause,’ however defined—is necessarily allowed by the [Second] Amendment,” it said.
The case is Peruta v. California, filed on behalf of five California gun owners and a gun-rights organization. See our previous coverage of the case here, here, and here.
A second case involves whether those convicted of certain crimes can be barred indefinitely from possessing firearms.
U.S. Law Shield will keep all our Members advised as these cases are handled by the court.
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