Lane v. James

Background

The parties jointly proposed staying, or temporarily pausing, the case after a status conference. The case challenges a New York State measure. The opinion does not identify the measure more specifically in the text provided.

The parties pointed to two appellate proceedings involving similar firearm laws and the legal framework from District of Columbia v. Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. First, they identified Snope v. Brown, pending in the Supreme Court, concerning Maryland’s ban on a statutorily defined subset of semiautomatic rifles. Second, they identified an appeal in the Second Circuit involving a Connecticut law. The parties said these proceedings could affect how courts apply the Second Amendment’s text-and-history analysis, including the role of the “common use” test, and could affect the standards, burdens of proof, conduct of trial, or outcome in this case.

Ruling

The court accepted the parties’ proposal to stay the case. The stay is to continue until the later of either: (1) a Supreme Court grant of review followed by a merits decision in Snope; or (2) a Supreme Court denial of review in Snope and a Second Circuit decision in the Connecticut-law appeal. The court asked the parties to keep it informed if one of those events ends the stay. The parties also proposed submitting a joint status report within two weeks after the later event.

Judge Kenneth M. Karas did not rule on the underlying challenge to the New York State measure in this order.