Court Opinion

ID: 9489288
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 13:11:12.280556+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:53:26.549525
License: Public Domain

SILBERMAN, Circuit Judge,
concurring:
I agree with the majority that the phrase “such ... restoration” should be read as “such source of restoration,” and therefore if a certificate is the source of any part of the defendant’s restoration of civil rights, it must contain the firearms restriction to support a conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). If the source in whole or in part is a statute, however, I do not think it matters where in the state code the restriction is found. As the Seventh Circuit noted, a codifier’s decisions are often unpredictable. United States v. Erwin, 902 F.2d 510, 513 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 859, 111 S.Ct. 161, 112 L.Ed.2d 127 (1990). Accordingly, anyone required to examine a state’s statutes to determine the scope of his or her restoration must exercise care that all relevant sections are consulted, just as every paragraph of the certificate must be read.