The case, United States v. Daniels, centered on Patrick Darnell Daniels Jr., who was convicted under 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(3), a federal law that bars people who are unlawful users of controlled substances from possessing firearms.
According to court records, Daniels was pulled over in Mississippi in April 2022 for driving without a license plate. Officers said they smelled marijuana, searched the vehicle and found marijuana cigarette butts, along with two loaded firearms.
Daniels later admitted that he had used marijuana since high school and continued to use it regularly, including around 14 days a month. However, officers did not administer a drug test, and the government did not present evidence that Daniels was intoxicated when he possessed the firearms.
A jury convicted Daniels, and he was sentenced to nearly four years in prison. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit later reversed the conviction, finding that the government had not shown a sufficient connection between his marijuana use and firearm possession to justify applying the federal ban to him.
The DOJ asked the Supreme Court to review the Fifth Circuit’s decision, arguing that the ruling improperly limited the government’s ability to enforce the firearm restriction against unlawful drug users.
On June 29, the Supreme Court denied the petition, allowing the Fifth Circuit’s ruling in Daniels’ favor to remain in place.
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