Defendant Gets New Trial for Felon-in-Possession Conviction

A defendant who was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm is entitled to a new trial because the government didn’t show he knew his status prevented him from possessing a gun, the en banc Third Circuit said Tuesday.

In Rehaif v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court said that to prove a felon-in-possession charge, the government must show the defendant knew he was a felon and that he was barred from possessing a gun, the court said in an opinion by Judge Kent A. Jordan.

Malik Nasir was arrested for running a marijuana operation out ...