Wade v. University of Michigan

Defending the University of Michigan’s prohibition of guns on campus.

Court: Michigan Supreme Court

Issue at Stake: Guns on campus

Summary: Everytown and Students Demand Action at the University of Michigan filed this amicus brief in the Supreme Court of Michigan in defense of University of Michigan’s prohibition of guns on campus. The brief urges the court to (1) adopt the two-step framework for analyzing Second Amendment claims that is used throughout the federal courts, and (2) uphold the University of Michigan’s prohibition of guns on campus at the first step of that framework. 

Everytown’s brief details the lengthy history of gun regulations on college and university campuses, which date back to the colonial era and have continued throughout American history. In light of this historical tradition, Everytown’s brief explains that college campuses are “sensitive places” where firearms restrictions are constitutional.

Decision: On November 10, 2022, the Michigan Supreme Court vacated the Court of Appeals’s decision and remanded for further proceedings in light of New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen. On July 20, 2023, the Court of Appeals upheld the University’s prohibition.