Gun rights after felony convictions
Nolan v. United States
In brief
- Where it stands
- Petition Pending
Awaiting an order on the petition
- What it’s about
- Michael A. Nolan asks the Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit ruling, arguing that the federal ban on firearm possession by people with felony convictions violates his Second Amendment rights and exceeds Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce.
- What's at stake
- Nolan’s challenge remains unresolved; the Supreme Court has not ruled on whether the ban can apply to him on the constitutional grounds he raises.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
His petition was distributed for a conference scheduled for November 13, 2026; that does not mean the Court has agreed to hear it.
The federal law at issue bars people with felony convictions from possessing firearms.
Question presented
1. Whether 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)’s lifetime ban on firearm possession for all individuals previously convicted of a felony violates the Second Amendment as applied to the Petitioner? 2. Whether 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), which prohibits the possession of any firearm that has, at some point, travelled in interstate commerce, exceeds Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution?
What happens next
The petition was sent for a conference scheduled for November 13, 2026, where the Court will consider whether to hear it. The conference does not guarantee an order date.
Documents
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
Brief added: Petition
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.