In the July issue of the American Spectator, I have an essay that chronicles the Supreme Court’s abdication of the Second Amendment since Heller and McDonald, through denial of certiorari on every single petition. The article is titled, “OUR GUN-SHY JUSTICES The Supreme Court abandons the Second Amendment.” Here is the Marquez-inspired introduction:
In the article , I focus on 7 of the most high-profile cases that all challenged whether the Second Amendment applies outside the home—the logical follow-up to deciding that the Second Amendment protects a right to own a gun at home. Though the lower courts fractured about how to approach this issue, the Justices turned each appeal away.
- Williams v. Maryland (Md. 2010), cert denied on 10/3/11.
- United States v. Masciandaro (4th Cir. 2010), cert denied on 11/28/11
- Kachalsky v. Westchester County (2nd Cir. 2012), cert denied on 4/15/13.
- Woollard v. Gallagher (4th Cir. 2012), cert denied on 10/15/13.
- Chardin v. Police Commissioner of Boston (Mass. 2013), cert denied on 11/4/13.
- National Rifle Association v. McCraw (5th Cir. 2013), cert denied on 2/24/14.
- Drake v. Jerejian (3rd Cir. 2013), cert denied on 5/5/2014.
And, after the issue went to press, the Court denied Kwong v. DeBlasio (2nd Cir. 2013).
There is still hope, as the Peruta case from the 9th Circuit, currently pending en banc review, gives the Court one more, potentially last chance, to weigh on whether the Second Amendment applies outside the home. But, as I close in the article:
But if the Supreme Court denies review in Peruta, we may find ourselves running out of options. By ignoring this issue, the Court will have left the Second Amend- ment to wither on the vine. The right to keep and bear arms will be reduced to a hollow privilege in many states. Regardless of how the Court would resolve the tangled mess of lower precedents, the failure to even confront it, and rule on it, stands as a jur- isprudential abandonment of the Second Amendment.
My new article in July issue of @AmSpec “The Supreme Court Abandons the Second Amendment” #scotus pic.twitter.com/RGrhar2Jd0
— Josh Blackman (@JoshMBlackman) June 16, 2014