Bondi v. VanDerStok

Bondi v. VanDerStok
Bondi v. VanDerStok
	Supreme Court of the United States
Argued October 8, 2024; Decided March 26, 2025
Full case name	Pamela Bondi, Attorney General, et al., Petitioners v. Jennifer VanDerStok, et al.
Docket no.	23-852
Citations	604 U.S. ___ (more)
Argument	Oral argument
Decision	Opinion
Case history
Prior	Preliminary injunction granted. VanDerStok v. Garland, 625 F. Supp. 3d 570 (N.D. Tex. 2022).; Affirmed in part and vacated and remanded in part. VanDerStok v. Garland, 86 F.4th 179 (5th Cir. 2023).;
Questions presented
	Whether "a weapon parts kit that is designed to or may readily be completed, assembled, restored, or otherwise converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive", 27 C.F.R. 478.11, is a "firearm" regulated by the Act.; Whether "a partially complete, disassembled, or nonfunctional frame or receiver" that is "designed to or may readily be completed, assembled, restored, or otherwise converted to function as a frame or receiver", 27 C.F.R. 478.12(c), is a "frame or receiver" regulated by the Act.;
Holding
	The ATF’s rule is not facially inconsistent with the GCA.
Court membership
	Chief Justice John Roberts Associate Justices Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito; Sonia Sotomayor · Elena Kagan; Neil Gorsuch · Brett Kavanaugh; Amy Coney Barrett · Ketanji Brown Jackson
Case opinions
Majority	Gorsuch, joined by Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, Barrett, and Jackson
Concurrence	Sotomayor
Concurrence	Kavanaugh
Concurrence	Jackson
Dissent	Thomas
Dissent	Alito
Laws applied
	18 U.S.C. § 921; 27 C.F.R. §§ 478.11, 478.12(c)

Bondi v. VanDerStok, 604 U.S. ____ (2025), is a United States Supreme Court case regarding the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) 2021 regulations revising its interpretation of the Gun Control Act of 1968's use of the terms "firearm", "firearm frame", and "receiver" to cover "ghost gun" kits of weapon parts. In a 7–2 decision, the Supreme Court held that because facial challenges against regulations require all applications to be inconsistent with the underlying statute, the ATF's regulations could not be struck down under this standard.

Bondi v. VanDerStok
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued October 8, 2024 Decided March 26, 2025
Full case name	Pamela Bondi, Attorney General, et al., Petitioners v. Jennifer VanDerStok, et al.
Docket no.	23-852
Citations	604 U.S. ___ (more)
Argument	Oral argument
Decision	Opinion
Case history
Prior	Preliminary injunction granted. VanDerStok v. Garland, 625 F. Supp. 3d 570 (N.D. Tex. 2022). Affirmed in part and vacated and remanded in part. VanDerStok v. Garland, 86 F.4th 179 (5th Cir. 2023).
Questions presented
Whether "a weapon parts kit that is designed to or may readily be completed, assembled, restored, or otherwise converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive", 27 C.F.R. 478.11, is a "firearm" regulated by the Act. Whether "a partially complete, disassembled, or nonfunctional frame or receiver" that is "designed to or may readily be completed, assembled, restored, or otherwise converted to function as a frame or receiver", 27 C.F.R. 478.12(c), is a "frame or receiver" regulated by the Act.
Holding
The ATF’s rule is not facially inconsistent with the GCA.
Court membership
Chief Justice John Roberts Associate Justices Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito Sonia Sotomayor · Elena Kagan Neil Gorsuch · Brett Kavanaugh Amy Coney Barrett · Ketanji Brown Jackson
Case opinions
Majority	Gorsuch, joined by Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, Barrett, and Jackson
Concurrence	Sotomayor
Concurrence	Kavanaugh
Concurrence	Jackson
Dissent	Thomas
Dissent	Alito
Laws applied
18 U.S.C. § 921 27 C.F.R. §§ 478.11, 478.12(c)