SCOTUS sides with the gov in 2 cases about whether certain criminal defendants are entitled to new trials / new plea hearings as a result of the court’s 2019 ruling in Rehaif v. United States which narrowed a federal law barring people with felony convictions from possessing guns

[ashley308]

SCOTUS sides with the gov in 2 cases about whether certain criminal defendants are entitled to new trials / new plea hearings as a result of the court’s 2019 ruling in Rehaif v. United States which narrowed a federal law barring people with felony convictions from possessing guns

[sintaur]

> Greer’s conviction resulted from a jury trial
during which Greer did not request—and the District Court did not
give—a jury instruction requiring the jury to find that Greer knew he
was a felon when he possessed the firearm. Gary pled guilty to two
counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. During Gary’s plea
colloquy, the District Court did not advise Gary that, if he went to trial,
a jury would have to find that he knew he was a felon when he pos-
sessed the firearms.

The appeal was over the jury not receiving instructions that the defendant must be aware he was a felon to have the gun charge stick. A successful appeal needed to include evidence he didn’t know he was a felon.

Not only did he not include any such evidence, the record showed that prior to this particular case, he had multiple felony convictions. So it was a meritless appeal — even if the jury had received the instruction, the outcome would have been the same.