In a unanimous 9-0 decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the National Rifle Association (NRA) had plausibly alleged that the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) violated the organization’s First Amendment rights.
The case, National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo, centered around allegations that Maria T. Vullo, the former Superintendent of DFS, had coerced banks and insurance companies to sever ties with the NRA as a means of punishing the group for its pro-gun advocacy, Fox News reports.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing for the Court, stated that “Government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors.” The opinion cited a decades-old precedent which held that a government entity’s “threat of invoking legal sanctions and other means of coercion” against a third party “to achieve the suppression” of disfavored speech violates the First Amendment.
The lawsuit, initially filed by the NRA in 2018, alleged that Vullo had issued “guidance letters” to financial institutions, encouraging them to cut ties with the gun rights group and other pro-Second Amendment organizations. These letters, sent in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, cited reputational risks as a reason for disassociation.
According to the NRA’s complaint, Vullo’s actions went beyond the guidance letters, with allegations of “backroom threats” made against regulated firms. The lawsuit claimed that Vullo had offered leniency on unrelated infractions if the entities agreed to blacklist the NRA, effectively using her regulatory authority to stifle the group’s advocacy.
The Supreme Court’s decision vacates a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which had previously dismissed the NRA’s lawsuit on the grounds that Vullo’s actions were reasonable. The case will now be remanded to the lower courts for further proceedings consistent with the high court’s opinion, allowing the NRA to continue arguing its case.
The NRA’s lawsuit garnered support from unexpected allies, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Despite ideological differences with the gun rights group, the ACLU stated that it was “proud” to defend the NRA’s “right to speak.” David Cole, the ACLU’s national legal director who argued the case on behalf of the NRA, praised the Supreme Court’s decision, emphasizing that “government officials have no business using their regulatory authority to blacklist disfavored political groups.”
Neal Katyal, counsel for Vullo, expressed disappointment with the ruling but noted that the decision required the Court to treat the NRA’s allegations as true, despite their lack of evidentiary merit. Katyal stated that the case would return to the Second Circuit, where Vullo’s claim of qualified immunity had previously been upheld. He expressed confidence that this decision would be reaffirmed.
The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting free speech rights, even for controversial or politically disfavored groups. The ruling underscores the principle that government officials cannot use their regulatory power to coerce private entities into suppressing viewpoints with which they disagree.
As the case returns to the lower courts, the legal battle between the NRA and New York State Department of Financial Services is far from over. However, the Supreme Court’s decision has set a clear precedent, reaffirming the First Amendment’s protection against government overreach and the suppression of disfavored speech.
The post Supreme Court Sides With NRA in First Amendment Case Against New York Regulator appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Kelly H
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://resistthemainstream.org and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.