UNITED STATES v. DANIELS

No. 22-60596.

77 F.4th 337 (2023)

UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Patrick Darnell DANIELS, Jr., Defendant-Appellant.

United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

FILED August 9, 2023.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Jonathan David Buckner (argued), Gaines H. Cleveland , Assistant U.S. Attorney, Erica Rose , U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Mississippi, Gulfport, MS, for Plaintiff-Appellee.

Leilani Leith Tynes, Esq. , Federal Public Defender's Office, Southern District of Mississippi, Gulfport, MS, Carmen G. Castilla , Kimberly Golden Gore (argued), Thomas Creagher Turner, Jr., Esq. , Federal Public Defender's Office, Southern District of Mississippi, Jackson, MS, John William Weber, III , Assistant Federal Public Defender, Scialdone Law Firm, P.L.L.C., Gulfport, MS, for Defendant-Appellant.

Chad Flores, Esq. , Flores Law, P.L.L.C., Houston, TX, for Amicus Curiae Scholars of Second Amendment Law and The Independence Institute.

Edward A. Paltzik , Bochner, P.L.L.C., New York, NY, for Amicus Curiae Second Amendment Foundation.

Joseph Greenlee , Firearms Policy Coalition, Action Foundation, Las Vegas, NV, for Amici Curiae Firearms Policy Coalition, FPC Action Foundation.

Robert J. Olson , Attorney, William J. Olson, P.C., Vienna, VA, for Amici Curiae Gun Owners of America, Incorporated, Gun Owners Foundation, Tennessee Firearms Association.

Gerald Harris Goldstein, Esq. , Goldstein & Orr, P.L.L.C., San Antonio, TX, for Amicus Curiae National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Before Smith, Higginson, and Willett, Circuit Judges.


Title 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) bars an individual from possessing a firearm if he is an "unlawful user" of a controlled substance. Patrick Daniels is one such "unlawful user"—he admitted to smoking marihuana multiple days per month. But the government presented no evidence that he was intoxicated at the time...

Let's get started

Leagle.com

Welcome to the leading source of independent legal reporting
Sign on now to see your case.
Or view more than 10 million decisions and orders.

  • Updated daily.
  • Uncompromising quality.
  • Complete, Accurate, Current.

Listed below are the cases that are cited in this Featured Case. Click the citation to see the full text of the cited case. Citations are also linked in the body of the Featured Case.

Cited Cases

  • No Cases Found

Listed below are those cases in which this Featured Case is cited. Click on the case name to see the full text of the citing case.

Citing Cases