Guide

Supreme Court gun cases: the AR-15 ban case and what's next

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Oct 29, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

As of October 29, 2026, the Supreme Court has one Second Amendment case set for argument this Term: Viramontes v. Cook County (No. 25-238), consolidated with Grant v. Higgins (No. 25-566). The Court will hear it on Wednesday, December 2, 2026. At least three more gun cases sit on the Court's docket as pending petitions. Every status below comes from the Court's own docket, and each one links to it.

Not legal advice. This page tracks court filings. It doesn't predict outcomes or tell you what you may own. For the law in your state, see our assault weapons ban by state and magazine capacity laws by state guides.

The short answer

The case: On June 30, 2026 the Court granted review in Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins, consolidated the two cases and allotted "a total of one hour" for oral argument. Both petitions were granted on the question presented in No. 25-238.
The question presented, quoted from the Court's official question presented: "Whether the Second and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee the right to possess AR-15 platform and similar semiautomatic rifles."
Argument date: Wednesday, December 2, 2026. The docket entry of September 4, 2026 reads "SET FOR ARGUMENT on Wednesday, December 2, 2026," and the Court's December argument calendar (amended October 1, 2026) lists the two cases that day as consolidated, with one hour for argument. The Court convenes at 10 a.m. Eastern.
Decision timing: The Court doesn't set a decision date. Its own procedures page says "Usually Court sessions continue until late June or early July." October Term 2026 runs from October 5, 2026 through October 3, 2027, per the Court's opinions page.

Next dates

Date	What happens	Source
Nov. 4, 2026	Response due in Davenport v. ANJRPC (No. 26-452), New Jersey's petition on its magazine limit	Docket 26-452
Dec. 2, 2026	Oral argument in Viramontes and Grant, one hour total	Docket 25-238
Dec. 2, 2026 (afternoon)	The Court posts the argument transcript the same day, and the audio later that day	supremecourt.gov
By late June or early July 2027 (usual)	The Court usually finishes its sessions by then. No decision date is set.	supremecourt.gov

The docket we read on October 29, 2026 doesn't list a deadline for the petitioners' reply brief. We'll add it once the docket shows one.

Every gun case on the Court's docket

Case	No.	Issue	Status	Next date	Last action (docket)	Docket
Viramontes v. Cook County	25-238	Rifle ban (Cook County, Ill.)	Granted; set for argument	Dec. 2, 2026	Oct. 28, 2026: amicus briefs submitted	25-238
Grant v. Higgins	25-566	Rifle ban (Connecticut)	Granted; consolidated with 25-238	Dec. 2, 2026	Filings now go on the 25-238 docket	25-566
Duncan v. Bonta	25-198	Magazine limit (California)	Petition pending	None set	Aug. 11, 2026: letter of respondent Bonta received	25-198
Gator's Custom Guns v. Washington	25-153	Magazine limit (Washington)	Petition pending	None set	Aug. 3, 2026: supplemental brief of petitioners filed	25-153
Davenport v. ANJRPC	26-452	Magazine limit (New Jersey); state is the petitioner	Petition filed	Nov. 4, 2026 (response due)	Oct. 1, 2026: petition filed	26-452

Status words match the docket. "Petition pending" means the docket shows no grant or denial yet. We don't call a petition "held" for Viramontes unless the Court says so, and as of October 29, 2026 no docket on this page uses that word. Dockets checked October 29, 2026. The same data is in supreme-court-gun-cases.csv (CC BY 4.0).

Viramontes v. Cook County (No. 25-238)

What's challenged: Cook County, Illinois's ban on "assault weapons" in its Code of Ordinances, §§ 54-211 through 54-214, as cited in the petition. The petition says the ordinance bans the sale, transfer or possession of listed rifles by name, including the AR-15 and AK-47 platforms, and of semiautomatic rifles that accept a magazine over ten rounds and have one of several listed features.

How it got here: The Seventh Circuit (No. 24-1437) ruled against the challengers on June 2, 2025. The petition was filed August 27, 2025 and docketed August 29, 2025. The Court distributed it for conference repeatedly from December 2025 through June 29, 2026, then granted it June 30, 2026.

Docket highlights

June 30, 2026: petition granted; consolidated with No. 25-566; one hour total for argument. Later filings in both cases go on the 25-238 docket.
July 15, 2026: the Court extended the petitioners' merits brief deadline to August 28 and the respondents' to October 21, 2026.
August 28, 2026: petitioners' brief and the joint appendix filed.
August 27 to September 4, 2026: more than 40 amicus briefs filed, including briefs from the United States, Tennessee and other states, members of Congress, the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
September 4, 2026: set for argument on Wednesday, December 2, 2026.
September 9, 2026: the Solicitor General moved for leave to take part in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument. As of October 29, 2026 the docket shows no ruling on that motion.
October 21, 2026: two respondents' briefs, one for Ronnell Higgins, Connecticut's Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and others, and one for Cook County and others, were "not accepted for filing" and marked to be corrected by October 26, 2026.
October 27, 2026: "Brief of Cook County, et al. submitted." As of October 29, 2026, the docket lists no corrected brief entry for the Connecticut respondents.
October 28, 2026: 41 amicus briefs submitted, among them briefs from Massachusetts, New Jersey, 16 other states and D.C.; Virginia; the City of Chicago and 23 other cities and counties; police chiefs' groups; and gun control groups.

Grant v. Higgins (No. 25-566)

What's challenged: Connecticut's "assault weapon" laws, Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 53-202a through 53-202d, as cited in the petition. The petition says possession is a Class D felony under § 53-202c(a), and selling or transferring one is a Class C felony under § 53-202b(a)(1).

How it got here: The Second Circuit (No. 23-1344) ruled on August 22, 2025, reported at 153 F.4th 213. The petition was filed November 7, 2025 and docketed November 12, 2025. The Grant petition's own question asked about "semiautomatic rifles that are in common use for lawful purposes, including the most popular rifle in the country, the AR-15," but the Court granted it on the Viramontes question quoted above.

Pending petitions that could turn on the decision

Duncan v. Bonta (No. 25-198), California magazines. A challenge to California's ban on magazines over ten rounds. The Ninth Circuit (No. 23-55805) ruled March 20, 2025. The petition was docketed August 19, 2025 and distributed for conference repeatedly through June 29, 2026. The petitioners filed a supplemental brief August 3, 2026, and a letter from Attorney General Bonta was received August 11, 2026. No grant or denial as of October 29, 2026. Background: magazine laws by state.
Gator's Custom Guns v. Washington (No. 25-153), Washington magazines. From the Washington Supreme Court (No. 102940-3, decided May 8, 2025). Docketed August 8, 2025, distributed for conference repeatedly through June 29, 2026, and a supplemental brief of petitioners filed August 3, 2026. No grant or denial as of October 29, 2026.
Davenport v. ANJRPC (No. 26-452), New Jersey magazines. New Jersey's Attorney General is asking the Court to review the en banc Third Circuit's July 17, 2026 ruling (Nos. 24-2415, 24-2450, 24-2506) that struck down the state's magazine limit. The petition was filed October 1, 2026 and docketed October 5, 2026. The response is due November 4, 2026.

Lower court cases to watch

Barnett v. Raoul (7th Cir. Nos. 24-3060 et al.). On July 9, 2026 the Seventh Circuit upheld Illinois's restrictions on AR-15s and 30-round rifle magazines and reversed the district court's injunction.
ANJRPC v. Attorney General (3d Cir., en banc). The full Third Circuit struck down New Jersey's magazine limit on July 17, 2026, then stayed its mandate on August 4, 2026 while the state seeks Supreme Court review. The state's petition is No. 26-452 above.
Santolla v. Katz (Washington County, Va., Circuit Court No. CL26-1139). A July 7, 2026 letter opinion applied a preliminary injunction against Virginia's 2026 "assault firearm" and magazine laws statewide. The case was stayed by agreement on July 29, 2026 until the Supreme Court decides Viramontes and Grant, with the injunction left in place. Details: assault weapons bans by state.
Anderson v. Raoul (7th Cir.), Illinois suppressor ban. Argued October 28, 2026 before a Seventh Circuit panel. It's a suppressor case, not a rifle case. See Anderson v. Raoul explained.

What a ruling could change

The question before the Court is whether the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the right to possess AR-15 platform and similar semiautomatic rifles. State "assault weapon" laws that ban possession of those rifles are listed in our assault weapons ban by state guide. Several lower courts, including in Virginia and New Jersey, have paused cases until the Court decides Viramontes and Grant. We don't predict the result. We'll post what the Court actually decides, quoted from the opinion, the day it's released.

How to follow along

Dockets: every filing appears on docket 25-238.
Argument day: the Court says an audio feed of each argument "is live-streamed on the Court's website, and the Court posts the audio later in the day," and that "On the afternoon of each argument, the Court posts transcripts" (source). Transcripts: argument transcripts, 2026 Term. Audio: argument audio, 2026 Term.
Opinions: opinions of the Court, October Term 2026.
Here: we update this page when these dockets change, on argument day, and when an opinion is released.

Recently decided or denied

Wolford v. Lopez (No. 24-1046), Hawaii. A challenge to Hawaii's rule, H.R.S. § 134-9.5, barring carry permit holders from carrying on private property without the owner's express permission. Judgment reversed and case remanded June 25, 2026 (opinion by Justice Alito). Docket.
United States v. Hemani (No. 24-1234). Whether 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(3), the ban on gun possession by "an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance," violates the Second Amendment as applied to the respondent. Judgment affirmed June 18, 2026 (opinion by Justice Gorsuch). Docket.
Peterson v. United States (No. 25-1076), suppressors. Petition denied April 20, 2026. More on the NFA cases: NFA lawsuits tracker. Docket.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Supreme Court AR-15 case argued?

Wednesday, December 2, 2026. Viramontes v. Cook County (No. 25-238) and Grant v. Higgins (No. 25-566) are consolidated with one hour total for argument, per the docket and the Court's December argument calendar.

What question will the Court decide?

The question presented in No. 25-238: "Whether the Second and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee the right to possess AR-15 platform and similar semiautomatic rifles." The Court granted both petitions on that question.

When will the Court decide the case?

No date is set. The Court says its sessions usually continue until late June or early July. October Term 2026 runs through October 3, 2027.

Is Duncan v. Bonta being heard with the AR-15 case?

No. Duncan v. Bonta (No. 25-198), on California's magazine limit, is a pending petition. As of October 29, 2026 the docket shows no grant or denial.

Can I listen to the December 2 argument?

The Court live-streams argument audio on its website, posts the audio later that day, and posts the transcript on the afternoon of the argument.

Sources

Supplementary sources

News reports, advocacy groups, dealer practice and unofficial copies. They add context or report statements; the primary sources above control.

NRA-ILA: Santolla v. Katz stayed, injunction kept in place (July 29, 2026) (gun-rights group, party's counsel)