Justices Take On Major Second Amendment Dispute | The Most Relatable Case For Anyone Who’s Ever Had A Bad Day

April 27, 2021

The Supreme Court yesterday took up a major Second Amendment case in which justices will review a New York law that restricts an individual from carrying a concealed handgun in public. It has been more than a decade since SCOTUS ruled on a significant gun rights case, consistently ducking the issue since its landmark ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller which said that the Second Amendment provides an individual right to keep a handgun at home for self-defense. Scholars who study gun rights say a ruling from the high court striking down the New York law could undermine efforts to rein in gun violence.

“The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to examine a New York law barring people from carrying guns outside their homes could weaken state-level efforts to curb violence after a slew of mass shootings. The announcement Monday drew angst from New York City’s mayor and gun-control advocates in eight states with large cities that would be most affected by a court decision expanding right-to-carry laws after a yearlong spike in urban violence.” Henry Goldman and Carey Goldberg with Bloomberg report on the Supreme Court’s decision to wade into the issue of gun rights after the U.S. has experienced four mass shootings in just a month and as gang-related shootings in cities are on the rise.

Tomorrow SCOTUS will hear a First Amendment case that John Fritze with USA Today says may be “one of the most relatable for anyone who’s ever had a bad day.” A cheerleader lashed out on her social media after not making varsity, and now the Supreme Court could decide whether schools can punish students for things they say off-campus — including on social media. Fritze writes, “Civil liberties groups fear the court will turn schools into speech police, limiting students’ First Amendment rights. School districts counter that they must be free to discipline off-campus speech that leaches into the classroom and the locker room, including to protect students from bullying that can be amplified online and miles from the schoolyard.”

The justices yesterday heard arguments in a case concerning California’s donor disclosure requirements and they seemed skeptical that charities should have to share the identities of their major donors with the state. A majority seemed to side with the two conservative groups challenging the requirement, however, it wasn’t clear whether the requirement would be gutted entirely. JUSTICE STEPHEN BREYER noted the case is “really a stalking horse for campaign finance disclosure laws.” But it also wasn’t clear if justices would touch on campaign spending in their ruling which is expected by the end of this term.

Tomorrow, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN will deliver his first address to a joint session of Congress, but his audience will be quite different given the ongoing pandemic. Fewer lawmakers will attend, and only CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS will be there in person to represent the rest of the Supreme Court.