Adams v. United States
- Alvin Hellerstein
- 1:23-cv-07918
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Adams v. United States, Judge Hellerstein denied Adams’s sentence challenge, holding that the firearm-possession law is constitutional.
Melvon Adams’s challenge to his federal sentence was rejected; the ruling also upheld the application of the federal firearm-possession restriction to convicted felons under the precedent cited by the court.
What happened
Melvon Adams asked the federal court to set aside his sentence for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He argued that the federal law banning such possession violated his constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
The court relied on a Second Circuit decision holding that this firearm-possession law is a constitutional restriction on the rights of convicted felons. The opinion therefore concluded that Adams’s challenge had no legal merit.
Judge Hellerstein denied Adams’s petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 and ordered the motion terminated and the civil case closed. The court also directed the clerk to notify the federal prosecutor’s office’s Criminal Division.
The detailed version
- Adams v. United States · No. 1:23-cv-07918
- Alvin Hellerstein
- Sept. 12, 2023
Background
On September 9, 2023, Melvon Adams filed a motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, a procedure allowing a federal prisoner to challenge a sentence. The motion sought to vacate his sentence for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Adams’s Argument
Adams argued that 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), which makes it unlawful for a convicted felon to possess a firearm in or affecting interstate commerce, violates the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Court’s Analysis
The court cited Second Circuit precedent holding that § 922(g)(1) is a constitutional restriction on the Second Amendment rights of convicted felons. Based on that precedent, the court concluded that Adams’s motion was without merit and ordered it summarily dismissed.
Disposition
The order denied Adams’s petition under § 2255. It also directed the clerk to terminate the motion, close the civil case, and electronically notify the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York that the order had been issued.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.