WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday declined, for now, to hear a challenge to a Maryland law banning certain semi-automatic firearms commonly referred to as assault weapons.
The court did not elaborate on the denial, as is typical. It would have been unusual for the justices to take up a case at this point, since a lower court is still weighing it. The Supreme Court is also considering an appeal over a similar law in Illinois. It did not act Monday on that case, which could be another avenue to take up the issue.
The Maryland plaintiffs, including gun rights groups, argued that semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15 are among the most popular firearms in the country and banning them runs afoul of the Second Amendment, especially after a landmark Supreme Court decision expanding gun rights in 2022. That ruling changed the test for evaluating whether gun laws are constitutional and has upended gun laws around the country.
Catalan separatists lose majority as Spain's Socialists win regional elections
Slovakia upsets the US in OT at ice hockey worlds and Finland eases past Norway
Why US Catholics are planning pilgrimages in communities across the nation
Dr. Cyril Wecht, famed forensic pathologist who argued more than 1 shooter killed JFK, dies at 93
Nigeria labor unions protest higher electricity prices
Trump hush money trial: What to know about Michael Cohen's testimony
Siblings trying to make US water polo teams for Paris Olympics
Families still looking for missing loved ones after devastating Afghanistan floods killed scores
Storms damage homes in Oklahoma and Kansas. But in Houston, most power is restored
Clarifications and corrections