Washington DC - The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a challenge to a federal law prohibiting abusers of illegal drugs from owning firearms.

The conservative-dominated court will decide whether the law violates the Second Amendment, which protects the constitutional right of Americans to keep and bear arms.

The statute was used to convict Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, on gun charges last year before he was pardoned by the then-president.

It prohibits the possession of firearms by a person who "is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance."

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The case before the Supreme Court involves Ali Danial Hemani, an alleged habitual marijuana user indicted for being unlawfully in possession of a Glock pistol.

An appeals court ruled that barring Hemani, a dual US-Pakistani national, from owning a gun violated his Second Amendment rights.

Republican President Donald Trump's Justice Department, which generally backs expansive gun rights, is challenging that decision.

There are "narrow circumstances in which the government may justifiably burden" Second Amendment rights, it said in a filing with the Supreme Court.

"Habitual illegal drug users with firearms present unique dangers to society," Solicitor General John Sauer wrote, adding that "the individual can remove [the restriction] at any time simply by ceasing his unlawful drug use."

The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, tends to rule in favor of gun owners.