UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JAQUAN L. BRIDGES - Articles

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JAQUAN L. BRIDGES

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Aug 7, 2025

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Greg Gookin, FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER’S OFFICE, Memphis, Tennessee, for Appellant

Attorneys 2: ARGUED: Eileen Kuo, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, Memphis, Tennessee, for Appellee.

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: Greg Gookin, FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER’S OFFICE, Memphis, Tennessee, for Appellant.

Attorneys 4: ON BRIEF: Eileen Kuo, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, Memphis, Tennessee, for Appellee.

Judge(s): BOGGS, GRIFFIN, and NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee at Memphis

Defendant Jaquan Bridges challenges his conviction for possessing a machinegun in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(o), arguing that the statute violates the Second Amendment, facially and as applied to him, under New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen, 597 U.S. 1 (2022). For two independent reasons, we disagree. First, controlling Supreme Court and Sixth Circuit precedent—that predates Bruen but remains good law—compels our conclusion. In addition, applying Bruen’s text-and-history methodology, we conclude that § 922(o) is consistent with our Nation’s historical tradition of prohibiting private possession of dangerous and unusual weapons. We thus hold that 18 U.S.C. § 922(o) is constitutional both on its face and as applied to Bridges. Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s judgment.

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