The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Monday, October 20, 2025, that it will review the constitutionality of a federal law barring illegal drug users from owning firearms — a key provision of the Gun Control Act of 1968.
The justices agreed to hear an appeal from the U.S. Justice Department defending the statute, which was struck down earlier this year by a lower court in Texas. The case was brought by Ali Hemani, a dual American-Pakistani citizen, who argued that the restriction violates the Second Amendment’s right to “keep and bear arms.”
Hemani was charged after federal agents found a pistol, marijuana, and cocaine in his home during a 2022 raid in Denton County, Texas. Prosecutors did not claim he was under the influence at the time. He moved to dismiss the charge, citing a 2022 Supreme Court precedent requiring that modern firearm laws align with the nation’s historical tradition of gun regulation.
In January 2025, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Hemani, ruling there was “no historical justification for disarming a sober citizen not presently under an impairing influence.”
The law in question also gained national attention in 2023 when Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, was charged under the same statute for lying about his drug use while purchasing a handgun in 2018. He was convicted in June 2024 but later received a presidential pardon from his father in December that year.
Hemani’s attorney, Zachary Newland, said he was disappointed the Supreme Court accepted the appeal but expressed confidence that his client’s “fundamental constitutional rights” would ultimately be upheld.
The Court is expected to hear arguments and issue a ruling in the case by June 2026.
Source:Africa Publicity
