United States v. Lopez

514 U.S. 549 (1995)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

Congress made it a federal offense to knowingly possess a firearm at a place that the individual knows or has reasonable cause to believe is a school zone. Lopez (D) was a 12th-grade student. D was caught carrying a concealed weapon and arrested under Texas law. The next day those charges were dismissed, and D was charged under the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. D was convicted and appealed. D challenged his conviction based on his claim that § 922(q) exceeded Congress' power to legislate under the Commerce Clause. The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit agreed and reversed d's conviction. It held that, in light of what it characterized as insufficient congressional findings and legislative history, 'section 922(q), in the full reach of its terms, is invalid as beyond the power of Congress under the Commerce Clause.' The United States appealed.