The US Supreme Court voted unanimously yesterday to reinstate the National Rifle Association's free speech case against a New York state regulator who allegedly used her authority to suppress the group's gun-promotion advocacy. The 2018 case was dismissed by a lower court in 2022 and will now resume proceedings.
At issue is whether New York's former lead financial regulator, Maria Vullo, coerced regulated banks and insurers to avoid doing business with the NRA because of its views. In 2017, Vullo launched an investigation into NRA-sponsored insurance plans designed to protect gun owners from liability after discharge of a weapon, a product dubbed "Carry Guard."
Vullo later fined several insurers for underwriting these policies, which included coverage for costs related to criminal proceedings. The NRA's claim alleges Vullo additionally threatened action against financial institutions that continued to do business with the NRA. In her majority opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote such allegations would be an infringement of the NRA's protected speech. See a case overview here.
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