The lower appellate court ruled that Mexico had “plausibly” claimed that the manufacturers did aid and abet the illegal trafficking of guns “by passing along guns knowing that the purchasers include unlawful buyers, and making design and marketing decisions targeted towards those exact individuals.”

The lawsuit seeks to hold U.S. firearms manufacturers accountable for gun violence in Mexico, saying the companies knowingly market to cartels.

The Supreme Court is set to consider the Mexican government's effort to hold U.S. gun companies accountable for violence involving trafficked firearms.