BELLEVUE, Wash. —— In a case that could potentially have far-reaching implications for similar lawsuits across the nation, the U.S. Supreme Court has denied Minnesota’s Petition for Writ of Certiorari in Jacobson v. Worth, the Second Amendment Foundation’s (SAF) challenge to the 18-20-year-old carry ban in the state.
Minnesota asked the Supreme Court to take the case after SAF was granted an injunction at the district court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed. The high court’s refusal to hear the case means the Eighth Circuit’s ruling stands as a final judgment, confirming SAF’s win.
“We are encouraged with today’s ruling, that the Supreme Court was happy to let the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that 18-20-year-olds are part of “the People” who have the right to carry a handgun for self-defense, stand,” said SAF Director of Legal Operations Bill Sack. “This ruling will have reverberations nationwide, where SAF is involved in multiple similar suits, seeking to restore the rights of young adults who face similarly unconstitutional laws in their home states.”
Originally filed in June 2021 as Worth v. Harrington, SAF is joined by the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, Firearms Policy Coalition, and three private citizens, Kristin Worth, for whom the case is named, Austin Dye, and Axel Anderson. They are represented by attorneys David H. Thompson, Peter A. Patterson, John D. Ohlendorf and William V. Bergstrom at Cooper & Kirk in Washington, D.C.
“Today’s cert denial confirms what we’ve said all along – the Second Amendment is not limited to those 21-years-old and above,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “We are cautiously optimistic the denial will have a positive impact in SAF’s challenges to similar bans in other states. Our goal is to remove any impediments for adults – no matter their age – to exercise their Second Amendment rights wherever they live.”
For more information visit SAF.org.
The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the fundamental rights of individuals enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. SAF engages in aggressive legal action to ensure the principles of armed self-defense, personal liberty, and the ownership of arms are defended, secured, and restored. Through public education initiatives, SAF teaches the importance of the Second Amendment to promote a society that values and exercises the right to keep and bear arms.
