SafeHaven cosigns second amicus brief

By Kathryn Jacob, LMSW | SafeHaven President and CEO

For the second time this year, the legal experts at the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s office have submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States. In this specific case (U.S. vs. Rahimi) the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit struck down a critical, long-standing gun safety law that protects domestic violence victims and keeps guns out of the hands of domestic abusers who have a Protective Order filed against them. SafeHaven has been honored to sign onto both of these briefs. 

An “amicus brief,” also known as “friend of the court,” is a legal document filed by a person or a public entity who is not directly involved in the case but has an interest in its outcome. When SafeHaven signed on, we were able to contribute to shaping the court’s decision. We are so grateful to work closely with the CDA’s office and provide valuable information, being used as an authority and quoted multiple times in each brief's construction.

Amicus briefs can offer the court expert knowledge in a specific area of law. In the Rahimi case, the Court will decide whether domestic violence offenders have a constitutional right to own firearms after they have been named in a Protective Order. SafeHaven possesses specialized expertise here – both on this issue given our role as the county’s experts on intimate partner violence, and the fact that Rahimi began right here in Tarrant County. Our participation in the brief can help the court make a more informed decision. Expert knowledge comes from years of on the ground work, and in complex cases like U.S. vs. Rahimi where the court lacks full understanding of intimate partner violence, we believe expert knowledge can be the difference between life and death for domestic violence victims.

We are so excited about these two opportunities to sign on to amicus briefs, and we are proud to share common perspective on this issue with our cosigners. It is an honor to be arm-in-arm with amazing CDA offices from around our great state to continue keeping survivors safe and holding offenders accountable.