United States v. Farris
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
United States v. Farris
Opinion
Appellate Case: 22-1412 Document: 010110983968 Date Filed: 01/16/2024 Page: 1
FILED
United States Court of Appeals
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT January 16, 2024
_________________________________
Christopher M. Wolpert
Clerk of Court
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v. No. 22-1412
(D.C. No. 1:22-CR-00149-RM-1)
MAURICE FARRIS, (D. Colo.)
Defendant - Appellant.
_________________________________
ORDER AND JUDGMENT*
_________________________________
Before MATHESON, BRISCOE, and EID, Circuit Judges.
_________________________________
Defendant Maurice Farris entered a conditional guilty plea to being a felon in
possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), and was sentenced to a
term of imprisonment of thirty-seven months, to be followed by a three-year term of
supervised release. Farris now appeals, arguing that the district court should have
dismissed the indictment on the grounds that § 922(g)(1) is unconstitutional under the
Second Amendment. After Farris filed his appeal, however, this court rejected the
*
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist in the determination of
this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore
ordered submitted without oral argument. This order and judgment is not binding
precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral
estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent with
Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1.
Appellate Case: 22-1412 Document: 010110983968 Date Filed: 01/16/2024 Page: 2
precise argument that Farris now asserts in his appeal. Consequently, exercising
jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we affirm the judgment of the district
court.
I
On May 4, 2022, a federal grand jury indicted Farris on a single count of being
a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of § 922(g)(1). The indictment alleged
that on April 19, 2022, Farris, who had previously been convicted of a felony,
knowingly possessed a firearm and ammunition.
Farris moved to dismiss the indictment, arguing that the Supreme Court’s
decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, 142 S. Ct. 2111(2022), “marked a dramatic shift in Second Amendment law” and effectively overruled Tenth Circuit precedent upholding the constitutionality of § 922(g)(1)’s ban on the possession of firearms by convicted felons. ROA, Vol. I at 32; see United States v. McCane,573 F.3d 1037, 1047
(10th Cir. 2009) (rejecting Second
Amendment and Commerce Clause challenges to § 922(g)(1)). After hearing
arguments on Farris’s motion to dismiss, the district court denied the motion.
Farris then entered into a written plea agreement with the government. Under
the terms of the agreement, Farris agreed to plead guilty to the single charge alleged
in the indictment. Farris also “agree[d] to waive appellate review of any and all
motions filed by him in this matter, except those raised in his Motion to Dismiss the
Indictment under the Second Amendment and the Court’s . . . oral denial of the
Motion.” ROA, Vol. I at 62.
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Appellate Case: 22-1412 Document: 010110983968 Date Filed: 01/16/2024 Page: 3
On November 18, 2022, the district court sentenced Farris to a term of
imprisonment of thirty-seven months, to be followed by a three-year term of
supervised release. Judgment was entered in the case that same day. Farris thereafter
filed a timely notice of appeal.
II
Farris argues in his appeal, as he did in his motion to dismiss, that § 922(g)(1)
is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. Farris concedes, however, that
after he filed his appeal, a panel of this court addressed and rejected the very same
arguments that he asserts in his appeal. Specifically, in Vincent v. Garland, 80 F.4th
1197, 1202 (10th Cir. 2023), cert. docketed, No. 23-683 (U.S. Dec. 26, 2023), a panel of this court “conclude[d] that Bruen did not indisputably and pellucidly abrogate our precedential opinion in McCane.” In reaching this conclusion, the panel in Vincent noted in relevant part that “[t]hough Bruen created a new test for determining the scope of the Second Amendment, the [Supreme] Court didn’t appear to question the constitutionality of longstanding prohibitions on possession of firearms by convicted felons” and that, in fact, “Bruen contain[ed] two potential signs of support for these prohibitions.”Id. at 1201
.
In a joint supplement filed with this court, Farris “agrees that his constitutional
challenge to § 922(g)(1) before this Court is foreclosed by McCane and Vincent and
[he] does not oppose a summary affirmance for that reason.” Joint Supp. at 2–3.
Farris asserts only that “he seeks to preserve the claim for possible en banc
reconsideration or Supreme Court review.” Id. at 3. In light of Farris’s concession,
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we agree that a summary affirmance is appropriate. See United States v. Borne, No.
23-8008, 2023 WL 6383732 at *1 (10th Cir. Oct. 2, 2023) (summarily affirming
district court’s decision upholding the constitutionality of § 922(g)(1) in light of
Vincent).
III
The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.
Entered for the Court
Mary Beck Briscoe
Circuit Judge
4
Reference
- Status
- Unpublished