“Second Amendment attorney Stephen Stamboulieh (@Stambo2A) has accepted a position with the Department of Justice,” Second Amendment legal reporter Rob Romano announced Monday to his followers on X. He included a link to Court Listener, And Stamboulieh’s Aug. 3 “Motion to Withdraw as Counsel” in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
“Stephen D. Stamboulieh respectfully moves this Court, pursuant to Circuit Rule 3(d), for leave to withdraw his appearance as counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellants Larry Morse and Theodore Ray Buck, Jr. in the above captioned appeal.” (Larry Morse and Theodore Ray Buck, Jr. v. Kwame Raoul, et al., challenges the state’s ban on the sale and possession of silencers.)
The reason for his withdrawal will no doubt surprise many in the Second Amendment community who have been following Stamboulieh’s groundbreaking work against federal and state infringements of the right to keep and bear arms. He has represented this correspondent in numerous Freedom of Information Act requests and legal complaints for years, some, including against the DOJ that are still pending. Having known his withdrawal was coming because of that, options for going forward with new representation are being explored.
Second Amendment attorney Stephen Stamboulieh (@Stambo2A) “has accepted a position with the Department of Justice”: https://t.co/5CQGOKDQpM pic.twitter.com/p0W0MIr9An
— Rob Romano (@2Aupdates) August 3, 2026
Among those efforts are related issues as diverse as:
- Rights restoration/ decision-making for firearms disability relief
- ATF and Secret Service involvement in the Hunter Biden case
- Bump stocks
- NICS permanent entry consent
- Prior DOJ statements of interest
- Obtaining Air Force court martial records for Sutherland Springs shooter
- And much more, not to mention actions undertaken for others on butterfly knives, stun guns, etc.
With his pending assignment at DOJ, any public comments at this time by Stamboulieh about this career development will be understandably limited. Just bear in mind, having been at the receiving end of his work, they are as aware of his fierce pro-2A advocacy as anyone (he was once dismissed by US attorneys as part of “a small cadre of firearms activists and their efforts to recover fees through largely unsuccessful FOIA litigation”), and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon’s previously unheard of work enforcing the right is a good indicator that current Justice management views his uncompromising principles as an asset.
Looking at the work Stamboulieh has done on gun owners’ behalf over the years, those who know him have full confidence that he is not switching sides but will now be positioned to be even more effective at advancing justice.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
