A procedural mistake by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has delayed one of California’s most significant Second Amendment cases, Jones v. Bonta. The case challenges California’s prohibition on firearm purchases by most adults between the ages of 18 and 20, and the court’s clerical error means the appeal process must now begin again before a different judicial panel.

According to a recent court order, the Ninth Circuit Clerk’s Office failed to follow its own internal procedures by assigning the appeal to a newly constituted panel rather than notifying the judges who previously heard the case after an earlier appeal. As a result, oral arguments that had already taken place were vacated, and the case has been reassigned to the original panel that issued a favorable ruling for the plaintiffs in 2022.

While the mistake is expected to delay the litigation, the reassignment could significantly affect the outcome. The original panel previously ruled that California’s restrictions on firearm purchases by young adults were unconstitutional before the case was sent back for reconsideration following the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision.

The renewed appeal will once again test California’s age-based firearm restrictions and could become another important Second Amendment case to emerge from the Ninth Circuit. Gun rights advocates will be closely watching as new oral arguments are scheduled and the case moves forward.