SCOTUS Sides With NRA Against New York Official

Reuters reports:

The U.S. Supreme Court gave a boost on Thursday to the National Rifle Association in its free speech dispute with a New York state official it accused of coercing banks and insurers to avoid doing business with the influential gun rights advocacy group.

The justices, in a 9-0 decision authored by liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, threw out a lower court’s ruling that dismissed the NRA’s 2018 lawsuit against Maria Vullo, a former superintendent of New York’s Department of Financial Services.

“Ultimately, the critical takeaway is that the First Amendment prohibits government officials from wielding their power selectively to punish or suppress speech, directly or, as alleged here, through private intermediaries,” Sotomayor wrote.

Read the full article. Per Reuters, Yullo acted in response to the Parkland mass shooting. Yullo also fined insurers $13 million for providing the NRA’s “Carry Guard” coverage for members accused of wrongful death shootings.

Supreme Court clears the way for the NRA’s free speech lawsuit against an ex-New York official | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/iQWVkJcN4u

— KSBW Action News 8 (@ksbw) May 30, 2024