Hewitt v. United States

In Hewitt v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26, 2025 addressed whether a federal statute prohibiting firearm possession by individuals convicted of nonviolent felonies violates the Second Amendment. Petitioner Hewitt, convicted of a nonviolent offense years earlier, challenged the ban after being denied permission to possess a firearm. The Court, applying the historical-analogue test from New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, held that the government failed to show a historical tradition of permanently disarming nonviolent offenders. The majority ruled the statute unconstitutional as applied to Hewitt. The decision reversed the lower court and sent the case back for further proceedings.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hewitt, holding the federal firearm prohibition unconstitutional as applied to Hewitt. The lower court judgment was reversed and remanded.

Whether the federal ban on firearm possession by nonviolent felons violates the Second Amendment; whether historical tradition supports permanent disarmament of such individuals.

The ruling is expected to reshape federal gun control laws, potentially restoring firearm rights for thousands of nonviolent felons. It intensified national debate over Second Amendment protections and legislative responses to gun violence.