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The Supreme Court has decided not to pursue the case made by the St. Louis lawyers who are fighting against the penalties they received for pulling a gun on peaceful protestors in the wake of George Floyd's death, Daily Mail reports.
In the summer of 2020, Mark and Patricia McCloskey made headlines after being pictured pointing their weapons at demonstrators who passed their St. Louis home.
The pair claimed to have been defending their community but ultimately pled guilty to misdemeanor charges of assault and harassment.
Missouri's Republican Governor Mike Parson pardoned the McCloskeys of the charges in August 2021, but the Supreme Court went forward with suspending their law licenses earlier this year citing that the couple acted out of "moral turpitude" and with an "indifference for public safety."
In order to keep practicing law after the suspicion, the court ordered the McCloskeys to give away 100 hours of legal service free of charge and provide quarterly updates on any arrests, convictions, or civil lawsuits filed against them.
Last month, the husband and wife submitted an appeal against the court ruling arguing that their weapon use was "protected by the Second and Fourteenth Amendments", and so it "cannot and should not constitute conduct involving moral turpitude. "
According to court documents, the McCloskeys said they were "exercising lawful rights to bear arms in defense of their person, family, and home" when they pointed a rifle and handgun at demonstrators who entered their gated community.
The Court announced on Monday (June 6) that it was declining the couple's petition, but remained silent on other highly-anticipated decisions regarding guns and abortions.
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