“It’s a fundamental strategic goal to present cases in the most favorable light possible, and that would include having a sympathetic and relatable person,” said Clark Neily, the senior vice president for legal studies at the Cato Institute, which has advocated gun rights. A panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit wrote that he was “hardly a model citizen,” even as they sided with him. Mr. Rahimi’s case could expand gun rights protections by undoing a federal law that makes it a felony to possess a gun while under a domestic violence protective order. Although the case has garnered a flood of amicus briefs from groups like the National Rifle Association, the Second Amendment Foundation, and the Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, the organizations have largely shifted focus away from Mr. Rahimi. “You could imagine a different case challenging this same law with a much more sympathetic plaintiff.”

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Persons: “, ”, Clark Neily, Mr, Rahimi, Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, Eric Ruben Organizations: Cato Institute, U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit, National Rifle Association, Amendment, Southern Methodist University, Brennan Center for Justice Locations: Texas