The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether to let Mexico proceed with its lawsuit seeking to hold U.S. gun manufacturers liable to the tune of billions of dollars for gun violence committed by drug cartels, the justices said Friday.

The court granted certiorari, or review, of a petition filed by leading gun companies including Smith & Wesson and Glock. The gunmakers are appealing a U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit decision that revived Mexico's claims that the companies are responsible for aiding and abetting the illegal trafficking of firearms to cartels for decades.