Seventh Circuit skeptical of using civil rights law to crack down on illegal gun purchases
A Seventh Circuit panel questioned whether the Americans with Disabilities Act can be used to force Illinois State Police to enforce a checklist meant to catch illegal straw gun purchases. Plaintiff Shanice Mathews, whose case dates to 2018, argues the failure to enforce such rules disproportionately harms Black children in Chicago exposed to gun violence.
Judges Rebecca Taibleson and Michael Brennan, both Trump appointees, pressed attorney Thomas Geoghegan on whether any precedent supports a federal court ordering a state agency to adopt a specific regulation; he could cite none. Judge Amy St. Eve, who has previously upheld Illinois gun restrictions, questioned whether the plaintiff could show the proposed rule would make any measurable difference.
The state, represented by Assistant Attorney General Samantha Sherman, argued Illinois has passed sweeping gun reforms since the suit was filed and that the plaintiff is really seeking more vigorous enforcement, a discretionary matter courts don't typically address. The panel gave no timetable for a ruling.
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