Supreme Court appears receptive to NRA free-speech lawsuit against a former New York state official

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court justices appeared receptive Monday to National Rifle Association claims that a former New York state official violated its free-speech rights by pressuring banks and insurance companies to blacklist the group after the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The NRA is suing former New York State Department of Financial Services superintendent Maria Vullo, who the group says used her regulatory power to economically punish the group for its gun-rights stance in violation of the First Amendment. The Biden administration backed some of the NRA’s claims. But Vullo said she rightly investigated NRA-endorsed insurance policies and didn’t use improper pressure.