The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in early March in a case that could determine whether the federal government can continue barring marijuana users from buying or possessing firearms.
The justices have scheduled arguments for March 2 in U.S. v. Hemani, a case that challenges the constitutionality of a long-standing federal statute that prohibits firearm possession by anyone who uses marijuana or other federally controlled substances. The law, codified as 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3), has been increasingly questioned by lower courts in recent years.
The case centers on Ali Danial Hemani, who was prosecuted under the statute and later challenged it as a violation of the Second Amendment. A lower court sided with Hemani, concluding that the federal ban on gun ownership for marijuana users is unconstitutional, prompting the Justice Department to appeal to the nation’s highest court.
The Supreme Court agreed to take up the case in October, setting the stage for a decision that could have wide-reaching implications as more states continue to legalize marijuana while federal prohibition remains in place.
