Left: Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas. Right: Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Samuel Alito. (Alex Wong/Getty Images.)
The Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to an Illinois ban on semiautomatic rifles and large-capacity magazines Tuesday, leaving in place a federal appellate court ruling that upheld the law. The ruling, however, occurs at the preliminary injunction phase, which means the underlying legality of the ban may well come before the justices at a later date.
Two conservative justices opposed the decision.
Justice Samuel Alito said he would have granted the petition to hear the constitutional challenge to the law.
Justice Clarence Thomas penned a separate statement wherein he said he hopes the Court will hear constitutional challenges to the law at a later stage in the litigation.
The Protect Illinois Communities Act was passed in the wake of the July 4, 2022, shooting in the city of Highland Park that resulted in the death of seven people. It bans the sale of multiple types of semiautomatic assault weapons, including AK-47s and AR-15 rifles, as well as large-capacity magazines. The Illinois Supreme Court upheld the law in August 2023.
