Holloway v. Sessions
Holloway v. Sessions
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM
Plaintiff Raymond Holloway, Jr. (“Holloway”), commenced this civil rights litigation raising an as-applied challenge to 18 U.S.C. ■§ 922(g)(1) under the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Before the court is defendants’ motion to dismiss Holloway’s complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6).
I. Factual Background and Procedural History
, Holloway received his first DUI at the age of 22 ip 2003.
Holloway received a second DUI at the age of 24 in early 2005.
In September of 2016, Holloway attempted to purchase a firearm out of concern for his safety and the safety of his family.
Holloway commenced this action with the filing of a one-count complaint on January 13, 2017.
Defendants move to dismiss Holloway’s complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), contending that Holloway’s 2005 conviction for DUI divests him of Second Amendment rights and defeats his as-applied challenge.
II. Legal Standard
Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides for the dismissal of complaints that fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.
Federal notice and pleading rules require the complaint to provide “the defendant fair notice of what the ... claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.”
III. Discussion
Federal law broadly proscribes and criminalizes possession of a' fíreann by persons convicted of “a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.”
Holloway entreats this court to declare the federal firearm prohibition unconstitutional as applied to him. He maintains that his DUI conviction is not sufficiently “serious” to deprive him of his Second Amendment right to bear arms.
The parties’ arguments concenter upon application of the Third Circuit’s recent decision in Binderup v. Attorney General, 836 F.3d 336 (3d Cir. 2016) (en banc). In Binderup, the en banc court debated the proper paradigm for resolving as-applied challenges to § 922(g)(1).
Binderup is epitomic among fractured decisions. Indeed, of fifteen judges, only three join the lead opinion in extenso and support the outcome-determinative analysis. To apply its guidance, we must first endeavor to extract “a single legal standard” that “produce[s] results with which a majority of the [judges] ... would agree.”
The Binderup result turned in large part on the Third Circuit’s earlier decisions in United States v. Marzzarella, 614 F.3d 85 (3d Cir. 2010), and United States v. Barton, 633 F.3d 168 (3d Cir. 2011). In Marzzarella, the court developed a framework for evaluating challenges to firearm regulations levied via the Second Amendment.
The Court of Appeals decided Barton the following year. Relying on the Supreme Court’s decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570, 128 S.Ct. 2783, 171 L.Ed.2d 637 (2008), the plaintiff
Turning to Barton’s as-applied challenge, the court found.that Heller’s use of the word “presumptively” with respect to the lawfulness of the felon-in-possession statute “implied that the presumption may be rebutted.”
Binderup presented a much closer question. The plaintiffs were convicted of nonviolent state law misdemeanors, each carrying . a maximum sentence above the § 922(g)(1) threshold.
Step one of the Marzzarella-Bind-emp sequence tasks plaintiffs to identify the historical justifications for denying the right to bear arms to members of their class and then to distinguish themselves and their background from the typical person in that class.
The Binderup court spoke at length to the traditional justifications for disarming convicted felons.
The question at step one therefore becomes whether a challenger was convicted of a sufficiently “serious” criminal offense.
Binderup arose in a summary judgment posture. As such, the opinion does not address proper application of the enumerated factors at the Rule 12 stage. Several factors—viz., state classification of the offense, whether the offense has violence as an element, and any consensus among states as to seriousness—are ostensibly legal issues amenable to resolution at the pleading stage.
Holloway alleges that his 2005 DUI conviction is not sufficiently “serious” to carry Second Amendment implications. In this regard, we find Judge Caldwell’s decision in Zedonis v. Lynch, 233 F.Supp.3d 417 (M.D. Pa. 2017), to be particularly instructive. The challenger in Zedonis was convicted in the same year of the same crime as Holloway—DUI at the highest rate of alcohol under Pennsylvania law.
These observations led Judge Caldwell to conclude that Zedonis articulated a plausible as-applied challenge to § 922(g)(1).
We reach the same result sub judi-ce. Holloway was convicted of DUI at the highest rate under ■ Pennsylvania law, a misdemeanor of the first degree which does not have violence as a requisite element.
Defendants- asseverate that highest rate t>UI is categorically “serious” because it reflects manifest disregard for public safety.
The challenger maintains the ultimate burden of proving that his crime of conviction is not “serious.” Whether the probata will substantiate Holloway’s allegata remains to be determined. We also emphasize that Binderup’s four-factor test is not exhaustive, and no one factor -is dispositive. Judge Ambro made clear that there are “no fixed criteria for determining whether crimes are serious'enough to destroy Second Amendment rights.”
B. Step 2: Government Justification
The burden at step two of the Marzzarella-Binderup framework shifts to
Defendants aver broadly that disarming those convicted of DUI promotes the government’s compelling interest in public safety.
IY. Conclusion
In his dissent in Binderup, Judge Fuentes surmised that the plurality’s challenger-specific approach would invite a deluge of as-applied constitutional litigation by disarmed felons.
Given the multitude of factual considerations which inform the analysis at both steps of the Marzzarella-Binderup framework, we are compelled to deny defendants’ motion t'o dismiss. We will also deny Holloway’s motion' for summary judgment as premature and deny defendants’ motion to strike same as moot An appropriate order shall issue.
. Doc. l.
. Doc. 4.
. Docs. 11, 15.
. Doc. 1 ¶¶ 8, 19.
. Id.
. Id; see also Doc. 1-2, Ex. A.
. Doc. 1 ¶¶ 8, 20; see also Doc. 1-2, Ex. A.
. Doc. 1 ¶¶ 8, 20; see also Dod 1-2, Ex. A.
.See 75 Pa, Cons. Stat. § 3802(c).
. See id, § 3803(b)(4); see also 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 1104(1).
. Doc. 1 ¶¶ 8, 22; Doc. 1-2, Ex. B.
. Doc. 1¶ 21; Doc. 1-2, Ex. A.
. Doc. 1 ¶ 29.
. Id. ¶¶ 29-30.
. Id. ¶ 30.
. See id.; Doc. 1-2, Ex. C.
. Doc. 1 ¶ 30; Doc. 1-2, Ex. C.
. Doc. 1.
. Id, ¶¶ 9-12.
. Id, at 13.
. See Doc. 4; Doc. 5 at 2, 7-12.
. See Docs. 11, 15.
. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6).
. Phillips v. Cty. of Allegheny, 515 F.3d 224, 233 (3d Cir. 2008) (quoting Pinker v. Roche Holdings, Ltd., 292 F.3d 361, 374 n.7 (3d Cir. 2002)).
. Oshiver v. Levin, Fishbein, Sedran & Berman, 38 F.3d 1380, 1384 n.2 (3d Cir. 1994); Pension Benefit Guar. Corp. v. White Consol. Indus., Inc., 998 F.2d 1192, 1196 (3d Cir. 1993).
. Phillips, 515 F.3d at 232 (alteration in original) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)).
. See Santiago v. Warminster Twp., 629 F.3d 121, 130-31 (3d Cir. 2010).
. Id. at 130 (alteration in original) (quoting Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 675, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009)).
. Id. at 131-32; see Fowler v. UPMC Shadyside, 578 F.3d 203, 210-11 (3d Cir. 2009).
. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955); Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955.
. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937.
. 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).
. See id. § 922(a)(20)(b).
. Id. § 921(a)(20).
. Doc. 5 at 2; Doc. 6 at 6; see also 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 1104(1); 75 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3803(b)(4).
. See generally Doc. 1.
. ■ Doc. 1 ¶¶ 42, 44, 57.
. See Doc. 5 at 2.
. See Binderup, 836 F.3d at 339.
. See id. at 356-67 (Ambro, J., plurality opinion, joined by two judges); id. at 357 (Hardiman, J., concurring in part and concur- ■ ring in the judgments, joined by four judges).
. Compare id. at 350-57 (Ambro, J., plurality opinion, joined by two judges) with id., at 358-80 (Hardiman; J., concurring in part and concurring in the judgments, joined,by four judges).
. See id. at 387-411 (Fuentes,' J,, concurring in part, dissenting in part, and dissenting in the judgments, joined by six judges).
. Fortunately, we do not write upon a blank slate. In a matter mirroring this action in all material respects, our colleague, the Honorable William W. Caldwell, carefully distilled and applied the divided decision. See Zedonis v. Lynch, 233 F.Supp.3d 417 (M.D. Pa. 2017). We are guided by Judge Caldwell’s thorough disquisition passim.
. United States v. Donovan, 661 F.3d 174, 182 (3d Cir. 2011) (first alteration in original) (quoting Planned Parenthood of Se. Pa. v. Casey, 947 F.2d 682, 693 (3d Cir. 1991), rev’d on other grounds, 505 U.S. 833, 112 S.Ct. 2791, 120 L.Ed.2d 674 (1992)).
. See id. (citations omitted).
. Id,
. See Binderup, 836 F.3d at 356 (Ambro, J., plurality opinion, joined by two judges).
. Marzzarella, 614 F.3d at 89.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id.
. Barton, 633 F.3d at 170 (quoting Heller, 554 U.S. at 635, 128 S.Ct. 2783).
. Id. at 170-71 (quoting Heller, 554 U.S. at 626-27 & n.26, 128 S.Ct. 2783).
. Id. 172.
. Id. at 173 (quoting Heller, 554 U.S. at 626-27 n.26, 128 S.Ct. 2783).
. Id. at 174.
. Id.
. Id.
. See Binderup, 836 F.3d at 340.
. See id. at 339.
. See id.
. Compare id. at 346-47 (Ambro, J., plurality opinion, joined by six judges) and id. at 387 (Fuentes, J., concurring in part, dissenting in part, and dissenting in the judgments, joined by six judges) with id. at 358, 365-66 (Hardi-man, J., concurring in part and concurring in the judgments, joined by four judges). Judge Hardiman's concurrence opines that Barton alone provides the exclusive test for constitutional attacks on § 922(g)(1), eliminating Marzzarella's second step and holding that Congress can never deprive persons who commit "non-serious” crimes of the right to bear arms. Id. at 358, 365-66 (Hardiman, J., concurring in part and concurring in the judgments, joined by four judges). At the other end of the spectrum, Judge Fuentes agrees that Marzzarella governs § 922(g)(1) challenges but finds all crimes constituting “felonies” within the meaning of the statute are "serious" by definition—and necessarily carry Second Amendment implications. See id. at 387-96 (Fuentes, J., concurring in part, dissenting in part, and dissenting in the judgments, joined by six judges). In other words, Judge Fuentes would foreclose all as-applied challenges at step one. See id.
. Binderup, 836 F.3d at 346-47 (Ambro, J., plurality opinion, joined by six judges) (citing Barton, 633 F.3d at 173-74).
. Id.
. Id.
. See id. at 348-49.
. See id. (citations omitted). Judge Ambro’s opinion on this subject reflects the views of six other judges, including Judge Fuentes. It is unclear whether Chief Judge McKee, Judge Restrepo, and Judge Shwartz (each of whom joined Judge Fuentes’ dissent) would concur in Judge Ambro's assessment. The stated basis for not joining this portion of the opinion is their position that Marzzarella cannot be reconciled with Barton, and that Barton must be overruled in its entirety. See id. at 339 n.1. Nonetheless, the trio joined in Judge Fuentes’ dissent, which cited with approval authorities concluding that the firearm prohibition is tethered to notions of a "virtuous citizenry.” See id. at 389-90 (Fuentes, J., concurring in part, dissenting in part, and dissenting in the judgments) (citations omitted). We deem this portion of Judge Ambro's opinion to be supported by a majority of the en banc court.
. Id. at 348-49 (Ambro, J., plurality opinion, joined by six judges).
. See id. at 348 (citing Heller, 554 U.S. at 626, 128 S.Ct. 2783).
. Id. In the course of this analysis, the court overruled Barton in part, finding its holding that those who commit serious crimes can regain their Second Amendment rights over time to be inconsistent with the historical relationship between serious criminal conduct and forfeiture of the right to bear arms. See id. at 349-50 (Ambro, J., plurality opinion, joined by six judges); id. at 339 n.1 (noting that three judges joining in Judge Fuentes’ dissent vote to overrule Barton entirely); id. at 387 n.72 (Fuentes, J., concurring in part, dissenting in part, and dissenting in the judgments) (voting to overrule Barton at least to the extent it states that as-applied challenges to § 922(g)(1) are permissible).
. Id. at 349-50 (Ambro, J., plurality opinion, joined by six judges).
. Id. at 350.
. Id. at 351-53.
. Id. at 351.
. See Zedonis, 233 F.Supp.3d at 428-31 nn. 7-9.
. See id. at 431 n.9.
. See id. at 428.
. Id. (citing 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 1104(1)).
. Id. (citing 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 6105(b), (c)(3)).
. See id. at 428-29 (citing Begay v. United States, 553 U.S. 137, 147, 128 S.Ct. 1581, 170 L.Ed.2d 490 (2008)).
. Id. at 430.
. See id. at 432 (citing National Survey of State Laws: Part II: Criminal Laws: Section 8: Drunk Driving 127 (Richard A. Leiter ed., 7th ed. 2015)).
. See id. at 432.
. See id. at 429-32,
. See Doc. 1 ¶¶ 8, 20, 42, 44; see also 75 Pa. .Cons, Stat, §§ 8302(c), 8303.
. See Doc. 1 ¶¶ 8, 20; Doc. 1-2, Ex. B.
. See Doc¡ 5 at 7-10; Doc. 13 at 3-4. Defendants rely on this assertion almost exclusively, and to the neglect of the Binderup factors. See Doc. 5 at 7-10; Doc. 13 at 3-4.
. See U.S. Dep’t of Transp., Nat’l Highway Traffic Safety Admin., 2015 Motor Vehicle Crashes: Overview 1, 9 (2016).
. Binderup, 836 F.3d at 351 (Ambro, J., plurality opinion, joined by two judges).
. In his concurring opinion, Judge Hardi-man suggested that the appropriate metric is not "seriousness" but "dangerousness.” Binderup, 836 F.3d at 358, 367-71 (Hardiman, J., concurring in part and concurring in the judgments). More specifically, he opined'that the proper test is whether the challenger "would present a danger to the public if armed.” Id. at 369. Judge Hardiman would look more broadly to the nature of the offense, its historical treatment, and the challenger’s propensity to violence, as demonstrated by the offense itself or otherwise. See id. at 374-77. The instant complaint would satisfy this standard as well. At present, there is no indication in the record that Holloway has a propensity toward violence, nor is there any suggestion that his crime involved an element of violence. Consequently, we could not conclude at this juncture that Holloway “has been, or would be, dangerous, violent, or irresponsible with firearms,” Id. at 377.
. See id. at 353-56 (Ambro, J., plurality opinion, joined by two judges) (citing Marzzarella, 614 F.3d at 97); id. at 397-98 (Fuentes, X, concurring in part, dissenting in part, and dissenting in the judgments, joined by six judges).
. Id. at 353-56 (Ambro, X, joined by two judges); see also id. at 397-98, 402 (Fuentes, X, joined by six judges).
. Id. at 354 (Ambro, J., joined by two judges) (citation omitted).
. Doc. 5 at 13-14; Doc. 13 at 7-9.
. Doc. 5 at 13-14 n,6 (citing Garen J, Win-temute, et al., Firearms,' Alcohol and Crime: Convictions for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Other Alcohol-Related Crimes and Risk for Future Criminal Activity Among Au-thorised Purchasers of Handguns, 22 Injury Prevention 302 (2016)); Doc. 13 at 8-9 n.8 (same).
. See Binderup, 836 F.3d at 354 (Ambro, J., joined by two judges).
. See Zedonis, 233 F.Supp.3d at 432.
. See Binderup, 836 F.3d at 380, 407-11 (Fuentes, X, concurring in part, dissenting in part, and dissenting in the judgments).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Raymond HOLLOWAY, Jr. v. Jefferson B. SESSIONS, III, Attorney General of the United States, Thomas E. Brandon, Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Andrew McCabe, Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States of America
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published