Two other amicus briefs on behalf of the respondents in McDonald v. Chicago warrant mention. The first [pdf] is filed on behalf of the Villages of Winnetka & Skokie, Illinois. The other is written by Carolyn McCarthy.
You may remember Skokie from its brief cameo in the Blues Brothers. In their brief, they maintain that incorporation of the 2nd Amendment would violate Home Rule powers. They also worry that constituents will grow weary of seeing their government spend tax dollars defending unconstitutional regulations.
Another aspect of amici’s experiences should concern the Court. When Evanston and Winnetka repealed their more restrictive laws in 2008, it was not because their citizens or legislators had been persuaded by policy arguments like the ones advanced by petitioners, respondent NRA, and their amici–but rather because they determined that the costs of defending the laws in federal court were too high to have local taxpayers bear.
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