May 7, 2026·3:22-cr-00175-CAB-1·Unpublished·By James Taylor
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the conviction of a defendant charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The court held that the defendant's Second Amendment challenge to the federal statute is foreclosed by existing precedent.
Terrence DeAngelo Ridgeway appealed his guilty-plea conviction for violating the federal felon-in-possession statute. He challenged the constitutionality of the law under the Second Amendment, arguing both facially and as applied to his situation.
The court’s reasoning
The panel unanimously concluded that the defendant’s Second Amendment claim is foreclosed by the en banc decision in United States v. Duarte. That prior ruling rejected constitutional challenges to the categorical disarmament of felons under the statute.
What it means going forward
The ruling reinforces the Ninth Circuit’s position that federal laws prohibiting felons from possessing firearms remain constitutional and enforceable against convicted felons.
