Second Amendment
Three Second Amendment Cases the Supreme Court Will Hear This Term
Post-Bruen, the docket is stacking up. Elena V. on the three cases that will finish the job.
September 4, 2026·7 min read·By Elena V.
The Bruen decision opened the door. This term's docket walks through it.
The three cases
- Rahimi v. United States — Whether the federal domestic-violence firearm prohibition survives the Bruen text-and-history test. Oral argument set for November.
- VanDerStok v. Garland — Ghost gun regulation. Whether the ATF's redefinition of "firearm frame or receiver" exceeded statutory authority.
- Snope v. Brown — Assault weapons bans. The Maryland ban is up on cert; the 4th Circuit upheld it 10-5, but the dissents cited Bruen twenty-eight times.
The Second Amendment math
Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett — the Bruen five. Roberts joined Bruen but only barely; he wrote a concurrence emphasising "sensitive places." Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson dissent.
The likely outcome on assault weapons: 5-4 to strike, Roberts joining the dissent, Kavanaugh writing.
The right to bear arms hasn't been this concretely enforced since 1791.
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