(IntegrityTimes.com) – Hunter Biden was denied his plea to have felony gun charges thrown out by a federal judge in Delaware on May 2. The judge rejected the arguments of President Joe Biden’s son that it was unconstitutional under the Second Amendment to ban possessing guns while using illegal drugs. Earlier on May 2, A federal appeals court ruled separately against another bid by Hunter to have charges dropped. Though his defense team may appeal, the two decisions should see the president’s son in court on June 3 as the country approaches a general election.
The verdict marks another blow to the Biden family and the Democrats, as former President Donald Trump sees his classified documents trial date postponed indefinitely. The delay to Trump’s trial follows accusations that Special Counsel Jack Smith tampered with evidence, making it seem increasingly less likely that the case will go to court before the November election. In Trump’s Hush Money criminal trial in New York, key witness Michael Cohen has prompted questions about his credibility as a witness testifying against Trump due to his own criminal background and questionable use of social media during the trial.
On April 1 U.S. District Judge Marc Scarsi denied eight motions by Hunter to throw out the case accusing the president’s son of attempting to evade paying $1.4m in taxes. The gun charges were brought against Hunter in 2023 over his illegal purchase of a gun while using illegal drugs. The president’s son was also charged with lying on a government form about his use of substances when he bought the firearm. Special Counsel David Weiss claims that the gun was purchased in 2018 when Hunter was a regular user of crack cocaine.
Illegal drug-users are barred from purchasing firearms by federal law. Hunter’s legal team argued, however, that the ban is a violation of the Second Amendment. Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by the Trump administration, was not convinced. Noreika acknowledged that the ban on drug-users owning firearms may be ruled unconstitutional in a specific situation such as a recent case involving a marijuana user, but stressed that the overwhelming majority of district courts would rule the ban as constitutional.
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