SCOTUS Avoids Intervening in ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban Case as It Moves Through 7th Circuit

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on Tuesday refused to get involved in a case centered on Illinois’s “assault weapons” ban as it continues to move through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

SCOTUS denied petitions for writs of certiorari in cases tied to Harrel v. Raoul.

Justice Samuel Alito would have granted petitions for writs certiorari, and Justice Clarence Thomas included a statement with the decision, citing his hopes that SCOTUS would review the Seventh Circuit’s decision once it is reached.

Thomas wrote:

But, if the Seventh Circuit ultimately allows Illinois to ban America’s most common civilian rifle, we can—and should—review that decision once the cases reach a final judgment. The Court must not permit “the Seventh Circuit [to] relegat[e] the Second Amendment to a second-class right.

On May 20, 2024, Breitbart News noted that SCOTUS declined to take up a case against Maryland’s “assault weapons” ban, as the case was still moving through the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.