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A judge in the US state of Delaware on Friday (Apr 12) declined to dismiss gun charges against President Joe Biden's son Hunter. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, US District Judge Maryellen Noreika in Wilmington ruled against Hunter's request to dismiss two counts of lying about the use of illegal narcotics when he purchased a Colt Cobra handgun in 2018 and a third count of illegally possessing that weapon.

The report said that the ruling cleared the way for a trial on the gun charges, tentatively scheduled to start in June in Wilmington. Hunter has pleaded not guilty. 

Hunter faces over 20 years of jail time if convicted

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The gun charges were brought by Special Counsel David Weiss in September last year. If convicted on the charges, Hunter faces more than 20 years in prison.

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Judge Noreika, who was appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump, has not yet ruled on a challenge to the constitutionality of the gun charges.

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'Case is politically motivated'

Hunter's lawyers argued that the case is politically motivated and asserted that an immunity provision from an original plea deal that fell apart still holds. The lawyers argued that the gun charges should be dismissed for a variety of reasons including that the law under which Hunter Biden was charged was likely unconstitutional after the US Supreme Court expanded gun rights in a 2022 ruling that set a tough new test to determine the legality of firearms restrictions.

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The lawyers also pointed out that Special Counsel Weiss was not appropriately appointed, that Hunter was being selectively prosecuted, and that he had a binding agreement that shielded him from prosecution.

(With inputs from agencies)