GOAL To Submit Amicus Curiae Brief in Marquis Case
Westborough, MA – Gun Owners’ Action League has submitted an Amicus Curiae brief in support of the United States Supreme Court granting a writ of certiorari for Commonwealth v. Marquis. An “Amicus Curiae brief” is a legal argument filed by a “friend of the court,’ or, a third party not directly involved in the case but has a strong interest in the outcome. A “writ of certiorari” is an order from a higher court to a lower court to send up the records of a case for the higher court’s review.
Marquis, a non-resident of Massachusetts, was involved in a motor vehicle accident. At the scene, he voluntarily declared that he had a firearm on his person and did not have a temporary license to carry. He was subsequently arrested by state police and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. The Massachusetts state district court judge dismissed the case, citing the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen decision. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court then chose to intercede and issue an opinion in tandem with a similar case (Commonwealth v. Donnell) that reversed the District Court judge’s opinion citing the Commonwealth’s “updated constitutional” firearms laws.
Currently, the attorney for Mr. Marquis is appealing the case to the United States Supreme Court citing violations of federal law by the Commonwealth. GOAL’s amicus brief in support of this appeal outlines the specific problems with the state’s temporary licensing scheme for out of state citizens that want to bring a gun to the Commonwealth for lawful purposes. From the Constitutional problems stemming from the Commonwealth’s “suitability” standard to the significant delay problems with the system, we are hopeful that the Supreme Court will grant this petition and give us a chance to show the country how little the Commonwealth respects their Second Amendment civil rights and the decisions of the Supreme Court.
