U.S. Supreme Court Blocks Mexico’s Lawsuit Against Gunmakers

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Mexican government cannot sue American gun manufacturers for the violence committed by drug cartels, The New York Times’ Abbie VanSickle reported.

The country filed the suit in 2021 and sought $10 billion in damages.

In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Elena Kagan, the court said a U.S. law that shields gunmakers from most civil lawsuits also applies in this case. Mexico, the court found, had failed to show that the companies had aided or abetted illegal gun trafficking.

Mexico had argued that American gunmakers knowingly allowed firearms to be trafficked across the border, fueling cartel violence and undermining the Mexican government.

The country filed the suit in 2021 and sought $10 billion in damages. During oral arguments in March, justices appeared skeptical that Mexico could prove a direct connection between the gunmakers and cartel violence.

Kagan’s opinion reiterated that the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act—passed by Congress to protect the U.S. firearms industry—barred the foreign government’s claims.