WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — In an 8-1 ruling Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal gun law that was designed to protect victims of domestic violence.
The court heard the case after a New Orleans appeals court overturned the law that had been on the books since 1994, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Under the law, when someone files a restraining order against a spouse or partner, and a court determines that person poses a threat of physical violence, they can be barred from possessing guns.
Chief Justice John Roberts said the law uses "common sense" and is imposed only "after a judge determines that an individual poses a credible threat" of violence, AP reported.
Justice Clarence Thomas, the only one on the nation's highest court to dissent, called the ruling a direct attack on the Second Amendment to the Constitution.
Francine Garland Stark is executive director of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence. She said the ruling is nothing short of lifesaving.
"If the court had ordered in the other direction, it would have taken us back to the equivalent of the dark ages, as it were," she said. "And instead, we've been making all of this progress, and now we can move forward with even more confidence that what we have done is, in fact, constitutional and right, in addition to being absolutely lifesaving and the right thing."
Stark added that Maine does have a protective law on the books that mirrors the federal law, but that if the court ruled in the other direction, Maine's law would be unenforceable.
Mainers facing domestic violence and in need of help can find resources at the MCEDV's website. The statewide, 24-hour confidential hotline is 1-866-834-HELP (4357).