Gun rights after drug convictions
Johnson v. United States
In brief
- Where it stands
- Petition Pending
Awaiting an order on the petition
- What it’s about
- Reggie Johnson asks the Supreme Court to review a federal law that bars firearm possession after convictions for crimes punishable by more than a year, arguing that applying it to him based on old, nonviolent drug-distribution convictions violates the Second Amendment.
- What's at stake
- The Court has not decided whether the federal ban can be applied to Johnson based on the convictions described in his petition.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
His petition was sent to a conference, but that step does not mean the Court agreed to hear the case or decided the constitutional issue.
Federal law bars people convicted of crimes punishable by more than a year in prison from possessing firearms.
Question presented
Whether 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), the federal statute that prohibits anyone who has been convicted of “a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year” from possessing a firearm, violates the Second Amendment as applied to Petitioner, based solely on stale, nonviolent prior drug distribution convictions?
What happens next
The Court must decide whether to hear the petition. It was distributed for a conference on Nov. 13, 2026, but that is not a promised decision date; no oral argument is scheduled.
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
More questions
- What does conference distribution mean for Johnson's petition?
- The petition was sent for consideration at a Nov. 13, 2026 conference, but that does not mean the Court agreed to hear it.
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.