Supreme Court Likely to Uphold Federal Law Barring Gun Possession for Domestic Abusers

Federal law in question emerged from the case of a Texan found in breach of a protective order; lower courts clash on gun restrictions in wake of Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling.

• The Supreme Court is expected to uphold a federal law that prohibits individuals under domestic violence restraining orders from owning firearms, with the case in question involving a Texan found in breach of a protective order.
• The law under scrutiny emerged from the case of Zackey Rahimi, who was ordered to surrender his firearm after his girlfriend was granted a protective order following his violent assault against her. Despite this, Rahimi engaged in multiple shooting incidents.
• Lower courts have been split on gun restrictions following the Supreme Court's ruling in 2022 in 'New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v Bruen' that expanded gun rights.
• United States v Rahimi tests the extent of the Bruen ruling. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals previously found the federal law barring Rahimi from firearm possession unconstitutional, stating that even individuals with questionable citizenship have rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment.
• The high court justices hinted at a potential narrow ruling in the Rahimi case to uphold the federal law, addressing the chaos unleashed by the 2022 Bruen decision. The Solicitor General suggested that the court not only search for exact historical regulations but consider principles behind those regulations and not take the absence of a historical parallel as grounds for legality.

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