UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS

FORT WORTH DIVISION

JENNIFER VANDERSTOK, et al.,

Plaintiffs,

v.

MERRICK GARLAND, in his official

capacity as Attorney General of the United

States; et al.,

Defendants.

No. 4:22-CV-00691-O

District Judge Reed C. O’Connor

MOTION OF 16 MAJOR CITIES, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS FOR THE COUNTIES 

OF BEXAR, DALLAS AND TRAVIS, TEXAS AND PROSECUTORS AGAINST GUN 

VIOLENCE FOR LEAVE TO FILE A MEMORANDUM OF LAW AS AMICUS CURIAE

IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANTS’ OPPOSITION TO PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR A 

PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

PERKINS COIE LLP

Lee S. Richards

Arthur S. Greenspan

David B. Massey

Rachel S. Mechanic

Jacob J. Taber

Rebecca L. Salk

1155 Avenue of the Americas,

22nd Floor

New York, NY 10036 

(212) 262-6900 

Clarissa R. Olivares

3150 Porter Drive

Palo Alto, CA 94304-1212

650-838-4815

John R. Hardin

SDTX Federal ID # 37689

500 N. Akard Street, Suite 3300

Dallas, Texas 75201

(214) 965-7700

Attorneys for Amicus Curiae Prosecutors Against Gun 

Violence (counsel information continued on next page)

Case 4:22-cv-00691-O Document 48 Filed 08/30/22 Page 1 of 9 PageID 606
James L. Shea

City Solicitor

100 N. Holliday Street, Suite 101

Baltimore, MD 21202

James.shea@baltimorecity.gov

Attorney for the City of Baltimore, MD

Adam Cederbaum

Corporation Counsel

1 City Hall Sq., Room 615

Boston, MA 02201

617-635-4030

adam.cederbaum@boston.gov

Attorney for the City of Boston, MA

Celia Meza

Corporation Counsel

City of Chicago Department of Law

121 N. LaSalle St., Room 600

(312) 744-0220

Celia.meza@cityofchicago.org

Chicago, IL 60602

Attorney for the City of Chicago, IL

Zachary M. Klein 

City Attorney

City of Columbus, Department of Law

77 N. Front Street

Columbus, OH 43215

(614) 645-7385

Attorney for City of Columbus, OH

Barbara J. Doseck

City Attorney

City of Dayton, Ohio

101 W. Third St.

Dayton, Oh 45401

Attorney for the City of Dayton, OH

Howard G. Rifkin

Corporation Counsel

550 Main Street, Room 210

Hartford, CT 06103

Attorney for the City of Hartford, CT

Michael N. Feuer

Los Angeles City Attorney

200 N. Main Street, 6th Floor 

Los Angeles, CA 90012 

Attorney for the City of Los Angeles, CA

Hon. Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix

Corporation Counsel of the City of New York

100 Church Street

New York, NY 10007

Attorney for City of New York, NY

Barbara J. Parker

City Attorney

OAKLAND CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

Oakland City Hall

1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 238-3601

BParker@oaklandcityattorney.org

Attorney for the Oakland City Attorney’s 

Office

Ann Davison

City Attorney

701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2050

Seattle, WA 98104

Attorney for the City of Seattle, WA

Case 4:22-cv-00691-O Document 48 Filed 08/30/22 Page 2 of 9 PageID 607
Diana P. Cortes

City Solicitor

City of Philadelphia Law Department

1515 Arch Street, 17th Floor

(215) 683-5003

diana.cortes@phila.gov

Attorney for the City of Philadelphia, PA

Jeffrey Dana

City Solicitor

444 Westminster St., Ste. 220

Providence, RI 02903

Attorney for City of Providence, RI

Linda S. Kingsley

Corporation Counsel

City of Rochester

30 Church Street, Room 400A

Rochester, New York 14614

Phone: (585) 428-6986

linda.kingsley@cityofrochester.gov

Attorney for City of Rochester, NY

David Chiu

City Attorney

City Hall Room 234

One Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.

San Francisco, CA 94102

Attorney for the City and County of San 

Francisco, CA

Susan R. Katzoff

Corporation Counsel

City Hall Room 300

233 East Washington Street

Syracuse, New York 13202

Phone: (315) 448 – 8400

Skatzoff@syrgov.net

Attorney for City of Syracuse, NY

Nora Frimann

City Attorney

City of San José, California

200 E. Santa Clara Street

San Jose, California 95113

Attorney for the City of San José, CA

Joe D. Gonzales

Bexar County Criminal District Attorney

101 W. Nueva St., 7th Floor

San Antonio, TX 78205

210-335-2311

John C. Creuzot

Dallas County Criminal District Attorney

133 N. Riverfront L.B. 19

Dallas, TX 75207

214-653-3620

José P. Garza

Travis County District Attorney

Ronald Earle Building

415 West 11th St.

Austin, TX 78701

512-854-9400s

Case 4:22-cv-00691-O Document 48 Filed 08/30/22 Page 3 of 9 PageID 608
Pursuant to Rule 7 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Rule 7.2 of the Local 

Rules of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, 16 major cities 

across the United States (the “Amici Cities”), the District Attorneys for the Counties of 

Bexar, Dallas and Travis, Texas (the “Amici District Attorneys”), and Prosecutors Against 

Gun Violence (“PAGV,” and together with the Amici Cities and the Amici District Attorneys,

the “Amici”) hereby respectfully move for leave to file an amicus brief in support of 

Defendants’ Opposition to Plaintiff’s Motion for a Preliminary Injunction. Defendants do not 

oppose this motion. Plaintiffs do not consent to the filing of this motion at this stage of the 

litigation. A copy of the proposed amicus brief is attached hereto as Exhibit A. A proposed

order is attached as Exhibit B. Oral argument is not requested.

The Amici Cities, which have a collective population of 24 million Americans, are 

deeply concerned with the growing spread of ghost guns. They are a coalition of 

municipalities, diverse in terms of geography, size and composition, that are all united by a 

common purpose―to protect the health and safety of their residents from the rising tide of gun 

violence on their streets and across the country.

PAGV is an independent, nonpartisan group that identifies and promotes prosecutorial 

and policy solutions for the national public health and safety crisis of gun violence. PAGV’s 

membership comprises 70 elected prosecutors, who collectively serve over 65 million 

Americans in 30 states. Its mission includes sharing best practices for prosecuting gun 

offenders and defending common-sense gun safety policies. 

The Amici District Attorneys include Joe D. Gonzalez, the Bexar County Criminal 

District Attorney, John C. Creuzot, the Dallas County Criminal District Attorney, and José P. 

Garza, the Travis County District Attorney. The Amici District Attorneys serve a collective 

Case 4:22-cv-00691-O Document 48 Filed 08/30/22 Page 4 of 9 PageID 609
population of over 5.8 million Texans.

“The extent to which the court permits or denies amicus briefing lies solely within the

court’s discretion.” U.S. ex rel. Gudur v. Deloitte Consulting LLP, 512 F. Supp. 2d 920, 927 

(S.D. Tex. 2007), aff’d sub nom. U.S. ex rel. Gudur v. Deloitte & Touche, No. 07- 20414, 2008 

WL 3244000 (5th Cir. Aug. 7, 2008). “ Factors relevant to the determination of whether 

amicus briefing should be allowed include whether the proffered information is ‘timely and 

useful’ or otherwise necessary to the administration of justice.” Id. (citations and quotations 

omitted); see also, e.g., Texas v. United States, No. 4:18-CV-00167-0, 2018 WL 4076510 

(N.D. Tex. June 15, 2018) (O’Connor, J.) (granting leave to file four amicus briefs).

The Amici respectfully request that this Court exercise its discretion to permit the Amici 

to file the attached amicus curiae brief. The brief offers a unique perspective on the issues in 

this case and does not unduly repeat the parties’ arguments. Specifically, the Amici draw upon 

their collective experiences to provide the Court with data and specific, real-world examples of 

the effects of ghost guns on public safety and the unique challenges that these unserialized and 

untraceable guns present to prosecutors and local law enforcement agencies that are tasked with 

preventing and prosecuting gun crime.

Case 4:22-cv-00691-O Document 48 Filed 08/30/22 Page 5 of 9 PageID 610
For the foregoing reasons, the Amici respectfully request that this motion for leave to file 

the accompanying memorandum of law as amici curiae be granted.

Dated: August 30, 2022 Respectfully submitted,

PERKINS COIE LLP

/s/ John R. Hardin

John R. Hardin

State Bar No. 24012784

SDTX Federal ID# 37689

500 N. Akard Street, Suite 3300

Dallas, Texas 75201

(214) 965-7700

Lee S. Richards

Arthur S. Greenspan

David B. Massey

Rachel S. Mechanic

Jacob J. Taber

Rebecca L. Salk

1155 Avenue of the Americas

22nd Floor

New York, NY 10036 

(212) 262-6900 

Clarissa R. Olivares

3150 Porter Drive

Palo Alto, CA 94304-1212

650-838-4815

Attorneys for Amicus Curiae Prosecutors 

Against Gun Violence

(Counsel information continued on next 

page)

Case 4:22-cv-00691-O Document 48 Filed 08/30/22 Page 6 of 9 PageID 611
James L. Shea

City Solicitor

100 N. Holliday Street, Suite 101

Baltimore, MD 21202

James.shea@baltimorecity.gov

Attorney for the City of Baltimore, MD

Adam Cederbaum

Corporation Counsel

1 City Hall Sq., Room 615

Boston, MA 02201

617-635-4030

adam.cederbaum@boston.gov

Attorney for the City of Boston, MA

Celia Meza

Corporation Counsel

City of Chicago Department of Law

121 N. LaSalle St., Room 600

(312) 744-0220

Celia.meza@cityofchicago.org

Chicago, IL 60602

Attorney for the City of Chicago, IL

Zachary M. Klein 

City Attorney

City of Columbus, Department of Law

77 N. Front Street

Columbus, OH 43215

(614) 645-7385

Attorney for City of Columbus, OH

Barbara J. Doseck

City Attorney

City of Dayton, Ohio

101 W. Third St.

Dayton, Oh 45401

Attorney for the City of Dayton, OH

Howard G. Rifkin

Corporation Counsel

550 Main Street, Room 210

Hartford, CT 06103

Attorney for the City of Hartford, CT

Michael N. Feuer

Los Angeles City Attorney

200 N. Main Street, 6th Floor 

Los Angeles, CA 90012 

Attorney for the City of Los Angeles, CA

Hon. Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix

Corporation Counsel of the City of New York

100 Church Street

New York, NY 10007

Attorney for City of New York, NY

Barbara J. Parker

City Attorney

OAKLAND CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

Oakland City Hall

1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 238-3601

BParker@oaklandcityattorney.org

Attorney for the Oakland City Attorney’s 

Office

Ann Davison

City Attorney

701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2050

Seattle, WA 98104

Attorney for the City of Seattle, WA

Case 4:22-cv-00691-O Document 48 Filed 08/30/22 Page 7 of 9 PageID 612
Diana P. Cortes

City Solicitor

City of Philadelphia Law Department

1515 Arch Street, 17th Floor

(215) 683-5003

diana.cortes@phila.gov

Attorney for the City of Philadelphia, PA

Jeffrey Dana

City Solicitor

444 Westminster St., Ste. 220

Providence, RI 02903

Attorney for City of Providence, RI

Linda S. Kingsley

Corporation Counsel

City of Rochester

30 Church Street, Room 400A

Rochester, New York 14614

Phone: (585) 428-6986

linda.kingsley@cityofrochester.gov

Attorney for City of Rochester, NY

David Chiu

City Attorney

City Hall Room 234

One Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.

San Francisco, CA 94102

Attorney for the City and County of San 

Francisco, CA

Susan R. Katzoff

Corporation Counsel

City Hall Room 300

233 East Washington Street

Syracuse, New York 13202

Phone: (315) 448 – 8400

Skatzoff@syrgov.net

Attorney for City of Syracuse, NY

Nora Frimann

City Attorney

City of San José, California

200 E. Santa Clara Street

San Jose, California 95113

Attorney for the City of San José, CA

Joe D. Gonzales

Bexar County Criminal District Attorney

101 W. Nueva St., 7th Floor

San Antonio, TX 78205

210-335-2311

John C. Creuzot

Dallas County Criminal District Attorney

133 N. Riverfront L.B. 19

Dallas, TX 75207

214-653-3620

José P. Garza

Travis County District Attorney

Ronald Earle Building

415 West 11th St.

Austin, TX 78701

512-854-9400

Case 4:22-cv-00691-O Document 48 Filed 08/30/22 Page 8 of 9 PageID 613
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on this 30th day of August, 2022, I electronically filed the foregoing

motion—together with the accompanying proposed order and the proffered amicus curiae

memorandum—with the Clerk using the CM/ECF system, which I understand to have served the

parties’ counsel who are registered in as CM/ECF users.

By /s/ John R. Hardin

John R. Hardin

Case 4:22-cv-00691-O Document 48 Filed 08/30/22 Page 9 of 9 PageID 614