New York Official Faces Setback in Free Speech Battle with NRA Thanks to US Supreme Court

The National Rifle Association (NRA) received a favorable decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in its free speech conflict with a former New York State official. The NRA accused Maria Vullo, the former superintendent of New York’s Department of Financial Services, of pressuring banks and insurers to stop working with the gun rights group.

In a unanimous 9-0 ruling, the justices overturned a lower court’s decision that dismissed the NRA’s lawsuit against Vullo. The NRA claimed that Vullo unlawfully retaliated against it in response to a mass shooting at a Florida high school in which 17 people died.

The dispute centered on whether Vullo abused her regulatory authority to force New York financial institutions to sever ties with the NRA, violating the First Amendment’s protections on free speech.

Vullo had urged banks and insurers to consider the risks of associating with gun rights groups following the Parkland shooting. In the aftermath of the incident, NRA officials criticized gun control advocates, accusing them of politicizing the tragedy to undermine gun rights.

Vullo later fined insurers for offering an NRA-endorsed product that violated New York insurance laws. The product provided liability coverage for policyholders involved in firearm-related incidents, even when the firearm was misused.

The NRA’s lawsuit sought damages, alleging that Vullo targeted the group with a censorship campaign, jeopardizing its advocacy work. The case did not involve Second Amendment rights.

The Supreme Court heard arguments in March and ruled in favor of the NRA’s free speech claims against Vullo.

President Joe Biden’s administration supported the NRA’s lawsuit, arguing that the lower court should examine whether Vullo’s actions went beyond permissible criticism to coercive suppression of free speech.

The NRA is a prominent gun rights organization in the U.S., known for its influence in opposing gun restrictions. The group is based in New York and Virginia.

The case is part of a series involving the NRA, which has aligned itself with Republicans and challenged gun control measures through legal actions.

While the Supreme Court is set to rule on two gun rights cases by June, the NRA’s victory against Vullo marks a significant development in its ongoing legal battles.