Can drug users own guns?

05:00 |

The Daily Docket

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

By Caitlin Tremblay

Good morning. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments over the constitutionality of a federal law that bars drug users from owning guns. Plus, tariff-refund seekers flock to a little-known U.S. court with a big precedent; a federal judge will consider whether to dismiss the DOJ's lawsuit against Minnesota over its immigration sanctuary policies; and a trial will kick off in New York accusing Live Nation and Ticketmaster of illegally monopolizing live entertainment markets. Let's kick off the week with some of our best photos from around the world. Welcome to Monday. I hope this week goes by in a snap. 📷

U.S. Supreme Court to weigh law barring drug users from owning guns

REUTERS/Bing Guan

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a bid by the Trump administration to defend a federal law that bars users of illegal drugs from owning guns. Here's what to know:

The law is one of the statutes under which former President Joe Biden's son Hunter was charged in 2023.
The justices will weigh an appeal by the DOJ of a lower court's ruling that found the gun restriction largely ran afoul of the Second Amendment.
The case stems from an illegal gun possession charge that federal prosecutors brought against Ali Hemani, described as a regular marijuana user, after the FBI found a pistol belonging to him during an unrelated 2022 raid of the home he shared with his parents in Denton County, Texas. Authorities did not allege that Hemani was intoxicated at the time he was found with the gun.
The 5th Circuit in January dismissed the illegal gun possession charge, ruling that "there is no historical justification for disarming a sober citizen not presently under an impairing influence." Read that opinion here.

Coming up today

SCOTUS: The U.S. Supreme Court is also expected to issue orders in pending appeals.
Antitrust: Live Nation and Ticketmaster face trial in New York on allegations of illegally monopolizing live entertainment markets.
LGBTQ+: The World Professional Association for Transgender Health will urge Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in D.C. to issue an injunction blocking the FTC from enforcing a demand for documents it was seeking as part of a series of investigations into medical groups concerning their support of gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Read the complaint.
Immigration: U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud will consider whether to dismiss a lawsuit by the DOJ against Minnesota over its immigration sanctuary policies.
Second Amendment: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will consider the constitutionality of a state law that bars adults under the age of 21 from obtaining a license to carry firearms. A criminal defendant, Mikai Thomson, convicted of violating that statute, is urging the court to conclude that it violates the Second Amendment, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 2022 ruling that changed the test for evaluating modern firearms regulations.
Constitutional law: The 1st Circuit will consider whether to uphold a Maine judge's ruling holding that members of a regional fishery management council had been unconstitutionally appointed. U.S. District Judge John Woodcock in 2024 concluded that a group of commercial fishermen were correct that the process for appointing members of the New England Fishery Management Council ran afoul of the U.S. Constitution, but he stopped short of blocking it from continuing to function.

Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes.

More top news

Industry insight

Two law firms have dropped their federal lawsuit challenging a new California law that restricts attorneys from sharing fees with out‑of‑state firms in which non‑lawyers hold ownership or have decision‑making authority.

"The Court will not allow federal authorities to use a new and erroneous statutory interpretation to terrorize refugees who immigrated to this country under the promise that they would be welcomed and allowed to live in peace, far from the persecution they fled."

- U.S. District Judge John Tunheim in Minneapolis issuing a preliminary injunction that extended an earlier, temporary order that blocked the Trump administration from arresting or detaining refugees on the basis that they had yet to obtain lawful permanent resident status, or green cards. Read more.

In the courts

Two transgender men in Kansas filed a lawsuit seeking to strike down the state's new law invalidating the driver's licenses and birth certificates of more than 1,000 transgender people that were changed to match their gender identity. Read the complaint.
U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles in Alexandria, Virginia, blocked Virginia from enforcing a new law that aimed to protect children from being addicted to social media by requiring age verification and limiting use by those under 16 to one hour per day.
The Delaware Supreme Court upheld a 2025 law that overhauled the state's widely used corporate code to limit lawsuits against powerful business leaders, a measure that opponents had dubbed the "billionaire's bill." Read the decision.
Toymaker Hasbro joined hundreds of companies suing for refunds of tariffs paid under President Trump's emergency trade measures, which were deemed illegal by the U.S. Supreme Court.
FedEx was sued in federal court on behalf of customers seeking refunds from the global shipping company after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this month that President Trump unlawfully imposed billions of dollars in emergency tariffs on imported goods. Read the proposed class action.
JPMorgan Chase, Barclays and Fifth Third have been sued by investors who suffered losses on securities issued by now-bankrupt subprime auto lender Tricolor, and accused the banks of missing "giant red flags" when fraudulently marketing the debt. Read the complaint.
A North Dakota judge finalized a $345 million judgment against Greenpeace in a lawsuit pursued by pipeline company Energy Transfer over the environmental group's role in protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Attorney Analysis

Haynes Boone's David Price Shugrue and Ed Lebow examine a recent Federal Circuit decision that held the International Trade Commission's confidentiality practices unlawful. Read today's Attorney Analysis.

Additional writing by Namrata Arora.

Contact

Caitlin Tremblay

caitlin.tremblay@thomsonreuters.com

Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website

The Daily Docket is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here.

Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here.

This email includes limited tracking for Reuters to understand whether you’ve engaged with its contents. For more information on how we process your personal information and your rights, please see our Privacy Statement.

Terms & Conditions