No. 25-7661October Term 2025Before Arguments
Jaterron Williamson, Petitioner v. United States
from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Case status
- Current stage
- Before Arguments
- Latest event
- Accepted by the Court
- Decision timing
- No window until argument is scheduled.
- What it's about
from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Question presented
1. Federal law bans the possession of firearms by anyone who has ever been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment. 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). What rule(s) should the lower courts apply when evaluating whether a prosecution or conviction under that statute is consistent with the Second Amendment to the Constitution? 2. Under the prevailing interpretation of the nexus-with-commerce element of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), a former felon possesses “in or affecting commerce” a firearm if the firearm was made in another state or country. Does Congress have the constitutional authority to enact such a law?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit / Accepted by the Court
- Area
Gun Rights
Timing
Expected by late June 2026, if argued this term
The Court granted review but has not yet scheduled oral argument. Once argued, the median case reaches a decision in 94 days. Nearly all cases are decided by the end of the term in which they are argued.
Briefing
What it's about
Jaterron Williamson is asking the Supreme Court to review two constitutional questions about the federal law that bars gun possession by people convicted of crimes punishable by more than one year. He says the Court should clarify how lower courts judge Second Amendment challenges to that law and whether Congress can apply it when the gun was made in another state or country.
Argument
The case is still waiting on Supreme Court action, and no oral argument is scheduled. Williamson asks the Court to clarify Second Amendment review of the federal ban and Congress's power to apply it when a gun was made in another state or country.
Impact
This matters to people with past convictions who face federal gun charges, including someone accused of possessing a gun made outside the state. It could also shape how lower courts decide whether that federal ban fits the Second Amendment and Congress's power to pass it.
What is Williamson v. United States about?
It asks what test courts should use for Second Amendment challenges to the federal ban on gun possession by people with past qualifying convictions.
Who could be affected by Williamson v. United States?
People previously convicted of crimes punishable by more than a year could be affected when the gun was made out of state or abroad.
What happens next in Williamson v. United States?
The Court has not scheduled argument. Watch for a scheduling move, including whether the justices take the case and later set oral argument.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 17, 2026
- Method
- Methodology