The New York County Lawyers Association Welcomes the Supreme Court’s Decision to Grant Certiorari in United States v. Rahimi

The New York County Lawyers Association Officers today issued this statement:

The New York County Lawyers Association welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision to grant certiorari in United States v. Rahimi, in which the Fifth Circuit struck down a provision in the Violence Against Women Act that prohibits individuals who are the subject of domestic violence protective orders from owning guns. NYCLA previously filed an amicus brief urging the Court to grant the United States’ petition for review of that decision.

NYCLA’s position in Rahimi is consistent with our historic and consistent support of reasonable gun regulation: as we argued in our amicus brief, the Fifth Circuit’s decision jeopardizes the ability of state and local governments – including those of New York state and New York City – to protect their citizens by removing guns from the hands of domestic abusers. We believe New York’s own laws in this area strike a proper balance between the individual right to own a weapon and the public’s interest in safety. As Rahimi threatens that balance, we hope the Court will overturn it in due course. The decision to grant certiorari was a step in the right direction, which we applaud.

About the New York County Lawyers Association

The New York County Lawyers Association (www.nycla.org) was founded in 1908 as one of the first major bar associations in the country that admitted members without regard to race, ethnicity, religion or gender, and has a long history of supporting the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Since its inception, NYCLA has pioneered some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence. For more information on NYCLA please visit nycla.org.

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