This section contains the nature of the case and procedural background.

The city of Chicago (D) has laws that are similar to the District of Columbia's which was struck down in the Heller case. McDonald (Ps) would like to keep handguns in their homes for self-defense but are prohibited from doing so by D's firearms laws. A City ordinance requires handguns to be registered, but the City Code prohibits registration of most handguns, thus effectively banning handgun possession by almost all private citizens who reside in the City. After the decision in Heller, Ps filed suit seeking a declaration that the handgun ban and several related Chicago ordinances violate the Second and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. The District Court rejected Ps' argument that D's laws are unconstitutional and that Heller had explicitly refrained from 'opining on the subject of incorporation vel non of the Second Amendment.' The Seventh Circuit affirmed. The Supreme Court granted certiorari.

The legal issues presented in this case will be displayed here.

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Legal analysis from Dean's Law Dictionary will be displayed here.