New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., Inc. v. Bruen

Decided June 23, 2022. Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 20-843 · 597 U.S. 1 (2022) · Cited 2,263 times

Holding

New York’s proper-cause requirement for obtaining an unrestricted license to carry a concealed firearm violates the Fourteenth Amendment in that it prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court. Read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 6–3.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• District of Columbia v. Heller · 554 U.S. 570 (2008)
• McDonald v. City of Chicago · 561 U.S. 742 (2010)
• Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission · 520 U.S. 180 (1997)
• Robertson v. Baldwin · 165 U.S. 275 (1897)
• United States v. Jones · 565 U.S. 400 (2012)
• United States v. Playboy Entertainment Group, Inc. · 529 U.S. 803 (2000)
• Myers v. United States · 272 U.S. 52 (1926)
• Virginia v. Moore · 553 U.S. 164 (2008)
• Clark v. Jeter · 486 U.S. 456 (1988)
• Konigsberg v. State Bar of Cal. · 366 U.S. 36 (1961)
• Funk v. United States · 290 U.S. 371 (1933)
• Crawford v. Washington · 541 U.S. 36 (2004)
• Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Assn. of United States, Inc. v. State Farm Mut. Automobile Ins. Co. · 463 U.S. 29 (1983)
• Malloy v. Hogan · 378 U.S. 1 (1964)
• Cantwell v. Connecticut · 310 U.S. 296 (1940)
• Ward v. Rock Against Racism · 491 U.S. 781 (1989)
• Associated General Contractors of California, Inc. v. California State Council of Carpenters · 459 U.S. 519 (1983)
• Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission · 447 U.S. 557 (1980)
• Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. v. City of Hialeah · 508 U.S. 520 (1993)
• United States v. Stevens · 559 U.S. 460 (2010)
• Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena · 515 U.S. 200 (1995)
• United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
• Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham · 394 U.S. 147 (1969)
• Printz v. United States · 521 U.S. 898 (1997)
• Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. Hepps · 475 U.S. 767 (1986)
• Muscarello v. United States · 524 U.S. 125 (1998)
• Dimick v. Schiedt · 293 U.S. 474 (1935)
• Sprint Communications Co. v. APCC Services, Inc. · 554 U.S. 269 (2008)
• Giles v. California · 554 U.S. 353 (2008)
• Rogers v. Tennessee · 532 U.S. 451 (2001)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Vidal v. Elster · 602 U.S. 286 (2024)
• Trump v. United States · 603 U.S. 593 (2024)

Official text

Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2022). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).