Case Explained: United States of America v. Torion Tamaz Byrd —————————— Attorneys on Retainer Association Amicus

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Filed: 2026-06-18 The eighth-circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court upholding Torion Byrd’s conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The court held that Byrd’s arguments challenging the statute on Second Amendment and Commerce Clause grounds are foreclosed by binding circuit precedent, specifically citing *United States v. Cunningham* (2024) and *United States v. Jackson* (2024) for rejecting Second Amendment challenges to the felon-in-possession law, and *United States v. Joos* (2011) for confirming Congress’s Commerce Clause authority in enacting the statute. Relying on the cardinal rule that a panel is bound by prior panel decisions and that only an en banc court may overrule such precedent, the court rejected Byrd’s claims as contrary to established Eighth Circuit law. Consequently, the conviction stands and no further relief is granted on these grounds. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.