Trump DOJ Seeking Major Role In Landmark Supreme Court Second Amendment Hearing

The Justice Department informed the Supreme Court Wednesday that it wished to take part in oral arguments regarding a major Second Amendment case.

The high court agreed on June 30 to hear Viramontes v. Cook County, a Second Amendment challenge to the Illinois locality’s ban on modern semiautomatic firearms, receiving dozens of briefs as of Friday. In the motion, Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked for ten minutes to address the court.

“Counsel for petitioners consents to this motion,” Sauer said in the document. “These cases present the question whether a categorical ban on the possession of AR-15 semiautomatic rifles infringes the right to keep and bear arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment.”

“The United States has filed a brief as amicus curiae supporting petitioners, arguing that such a ban is unconstitutional,” Sauer continued. “The United States has a substantial interest in the preservation of the right to keep and bear arms and in the proper interpretation of the Second Amendment.”

The justices scheduled oral arguments for the case on Dec. 2. The case was combined with a similar case that originated in Connecticut.

Sauer said the United States took no position on how the high court should divide the 30 minutes for those defending the bans.

Cook County, Illinois, and Connecticut must file their response briefs by Oct. 21, while reply briefs from the petitioners are due Nov. 20, according to a filing with the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s decision is expected to be issued no later than summer 2027.