New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) Files Amicus Brief in United States v. Zachey Rahimi Seeking to Keep Firearms Out of the Hands of Alleged Domestic Abusers

August 23, 2023 New York, New York – The New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) has filed an Amicus Brief in the matter of United States v. Zackey Rahimi. NYCLA is represented by Benjamin G. Shatz, Jacqueline Wolff, Samantha Katze, Sarah Moses, Tina Lapsia and Carolyn Sharzer of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. View the brief here.

NYCLA has actively supported reasonable gun legislation, supporting legislation to address mass shootings and has sponsored forums to address the problem of domestic violence in New York and elsewhere. NYCLA was one of the only amici to support the original grant of certiorari in this case, demonstrating its commitment to having the case heard and the rights of victims of domestic violence vindicated. In March 2013, NYCLA produced a report on proposed federal gun legislation. In June of 2022, NYCLA filed an Amicus Brief in the case of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. et al v. Kevin Bruen, in which we urged that a New York law restricting the concealed carry of firearms was constitutional.

“We hope this Supreme Court won’t go so far as to allow a person adjudicated to be a domestic violence offender to claim a Second Amendment right to keep firearms in the home,” said Adrienne Koch, NYCLA’s president. “Such a result would fail to protect victims, mostly women and children, who also have the right to be safe in their homes.”

“Orders of protection that remove firearms from adjudicated domestic abusers are a proven way to protect some of New York’s most vulnerable. We have urged the Supreme Court to follow history, tradition and its own precedent to reverse the Fifth Circuit and clarify that Bruen was never intended to include dangerous persons within the protections of the Second Amendment.” said Jacqueline Wolff, attorney for NYCLA.

Ms. Koch thanked Ms. Wolff and the entire Manatt team for their outstanding work on the case.

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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