On July 17, the en banc Third Circuit decided Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs v. Attorney General of New Jersey. Eleven members of the en banc court ruled that New Jersey's "assault firearms" ban and prohibition on "large capacity magazines" violate the Second Amendment.
The majority opinion was written by Judge Arianna Freeman, a Biden appointee. I concur with Ed Whelan that Freeman deserves some credit for taking this strong stand, and disqualifying herself from any future Supreme Court vacancy.
Ed also praises Judge Tamika Montgomery-Reeves, another Biden appointee, who joined the majority opinion. She too has taken her name off the SCOTUS short list. Yet, she joined the majority despite a reservation. Judge Montgomery-Reeves wrote a short concurrence that raises an important question of timing. She observes that on June 30, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to review AR-15 ban cases from Illinois and Connecticut. Judge Montgomery-Reeves writes, "the Supreme Court has granted certiorari in two cases considering constitutional challenges to statutes nearly identical to the one now before us." Judge Montgomery-Reeves could have voted to hold the cases pending the Supreme Court's resolution. But she didn't. Judge Montgomery-Reeves explained:
