The US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois granted a preliminary injunction in the 2ALC-supported case of Barnett v. Raoul and three other related lawsuits in Illinois that challenge the constitutionality of the state's unconstitutional new PICA law. Among other things, PICA bans the sale or transfer of any semi-automatic firearm designated by the state as an "assault weapon" and bans certain magazines based on their capacity. The PICA law is so restrictive that many Illinois sheriffs even refused to implement it.
All four of these federal 2A cases are now consolidated in the Seventh Circuit, which has ordered all of the parties to submit their legal briefs on an expedited basis.
2ALC needs your support now to fund briefs supporting the challengers!
The State of Illinois must file its brief by June 5. Amicus briefs supporting the State are due June 12. The legal briefs by plaintiffs’ who are challenging the law are due June 19 and it is limited to 25 pages. The State’s reply brief, and all amicus briefs supporting the plaintiffs are due June 26. The oral argument for all four of these cases, and several other cases challenging the law, is scheduled for June 29 in Chicago.
This shortened timetable is almost unheard of in federal courts. It really puts pressure on the lawyers writing the briefs.
Coordinating an amicus brief campaign usually takes months! So 2ALC is hard at work! 2ALC has recruited multiple friends of the court to write amicus briefs supporting the four cases challenging the law, including law enforcement and police, state associations like the California Rifle & Pistol Association and Gun Owners of California, other pro-gun-owner states, and other groups. 2ALC has put together some impressive and experienced lawyers like Steve Halbrook to write briefs on an array of topics. Because the plaintiffs brief can only be 25 pages long, these amicus briefs can present the court with a deeper analysis and cover topics that plaintiffs don’t have room to cover in their briefs.
Well written amicus briefs can make the difference between success and failure. But we need your help to get this done. Now!
The State knows the importance of amicus support. All of the anti-gun-owner “usual suspects” will file amicus briefs supporting the State; Everytown, Giffords, and Bloomberg among others. We also expect anti-gun blue state Attorneys General to weigh in, because they want to be able to pass similar laws in their states. So our efforts here will have national implications!
There are several other cases in Illinois challenging PICA where courts have ruled against the plaintiffs and denied their request for an injunction. Those rulings have also been appealed. Some of the cases are already briefed, but the argument on those cases is also set for June 29 in Chicago.
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