Supreme Court weighs Second Amendment rights for domestic violence offenders

The Supreme Court on Tuesday will weigh the first test of its new Second Amendment precedent that modern gun laws must be rooted in regulations from the founding era.

The justices will review a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that utilized a new test established in Justice Clarence Thomas's 6-3 ruling in New York Rifle & Pistol Assn. v. Bruen last year, which determines whether gun control laws are constitutional based on the nation's "historical tradition of firearm regulation."

In March, the 5th Circuit vacated the conviction of Texas drug dealer Zackey Rahimi under a 1994 federal statute that makes it a crime for people subject to civil domestic violence orders to possess guns, finding that it violated the novel Second Amendment test devised under Bruen.

"Rahimi, while hardly a model citizen, is nonetheless among 'the people' entitled to the Second Amendment's guarantees, all other things equal," 5th Circuit Judge Cory Wilson wrote for the three-panel decision.

The Biden administration swiftly appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, arguing there exists "strong historical evidence supporting the general principle that the government may disarm dangerous individuals.” The high court agreed to consider the case on June 30, just before leaving for summer recess.