NRA can sue ex-NY official it says tried to blacklist it after Parkland shooting, Supreme Court says
The Supreme Court has cleared the way for a National Rifle Association lawsuit against an ex-New York state official over claims she pressured companies to blacklist it following the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting
WASHINGTON — A unanimous Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for a National Rifle Association lawsuit against a former New York state official over claims she pressured companies to blacklist it following the deadly 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Giving the NRA a new chance to prove its case, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that “the critical takeaway is that the First Amendment prohibits government officials from wielding their power selectively to punish or suppress speech.”
The NRA said ex-New York state Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo violated its free-speech rights during her investigation of NRA-endorsed insurance policies. The group had been working with insurance companies to offer its members Carry Guard policies that covered losses caused by firearms, even when the insured person intentionally killed or hurt somebody. Critics have called the policies “murder insurance.”
In an unusual alignment, the NRA was represented in the case by the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Biden administration argued some of its claims should go forward.
“This is a landmark victory for the NRA and all who care about our First Amendment freedom,” NRA attorney William A. Brewer III said, accusing New York government officials of abusing their power to silence the group.
Neal Katyal, Vullo's attorney at the Supreme Court, predicted Vullo would ultimately win the case. “Ms. Vullo did not violate anyone’s First Amendment rights. Ms. Vullo enforced the insurance law
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