Big NRA win in Supreme Court

| June 3, 2024

The Supremes handed a nice victory to the NRA last week. Not uncommon, right? This one was – a UNANIMOUS decision. Authored by Justice Sotomayor.  Supported by the ACLU. With a combination like that on your side, you can bet the other folks were trying on some egregious shit, man.

Oh. look. it was the state of New York. Where have we heard of their legal system lately?

In a unanimous decision written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the high court “holds that the NRA plausibly alleged that [then-New York State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria T.] Vullo violated the First Amendment by coercing DFS-regulated entities to terminate their business relationships with the NRA in order to punish or suppress the NRA’s advocacy.”

The case stems from a lawsuit filed by the NRA in 2018 which questioned whether a government regulator threatens regulated entities with adverse regulatory actions if they do business with a controversial speaker, allegedly because of the government’s own hostility to the speaker’s viewpoint, violates the First Amendment.

Essentially, Vullo pressured banks and insurance entities to stop doing business with the NRA, or face the wrath of New York regulators.

“Nice place ya have here….be a pity if something happens to it.”

“Six decades ago, this Court 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 opinion states.

“Today, the Court reaffirms what it said then: Government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors,” it said. “Petitioner National Rifle Association (NRA) plausibly alleges that respondent Maria Vullo did just that.”

The NRA sued Vullo, who — at the order of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — allegedly blacklisted the NRA, effectively forcing banks and insurers to cut ties with the group.

She sent “guidance letters” in 2018 to banks and insurance companies encouraging them to sever ties with the NRA and other pro-Second Amendment organizations, citing reputational risks. The guidance letters were issued shortly after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 students and staff.

The lawsuit alleged that Vullo made “backroom threats” against regulated firms, accompanied by offers of leniency on unrelated infractions if regulated entities would agree to blacklist the NRA.

So “you got problems…we can make your problems go away if you work with us.”

“Today’s decision confirms that government officials have no business using their regulatory authority to blacklist disfavored political groups,”  said David Cole, the ACLU’s national legal director, who argued the case for the NRA.  Fox News

The case now heads back to the 2nd Circuit to determine if Vullo is shielded from prosecution on qualified immunity grounds. In a just world,  one would think any qualified immunity she had would have gone out the window when she started her very own little protection racket. Now? Remains to be seen – she is a New York Democrat.

Category: "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Supreme Court

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2banana

New York using lawfare to go after those they don’t like in politics.

You would think there would be a consequence…

Anonymous

Catch 22’s coralary: They can do anything they can’t be stopped from doing.

Odie

New York is getting high on their own product.

As far as to what’s going to happen to Vullo, I would say nothing will happen. She is part of the big club that we aren’t invited to, and will be asked to step down to save face. She will be asked, after letting her know that her pension and insurance will not be taken away or interrupted, to go as quickly as possible.

5JC

Gosh, if they did that to the NRA they could go after Trump? Thank God there are safeguards in place to prevent judicial misconduct.

KoB

“Rules for thee, not for me.” A small victory, but who wants to bet that the “qualified immunity” will protect this despot?

5JC

Meanwhile the police get mowed down on the streets by illegal alien Venezuelan motorcycle gangs and the state does nothing.

Mmm…. Not nothing, gives the gang shelter, food, cell phones, money and whatever else they want. The shooter was living for free at a Courtyard Marriott.

Last edited 6 months ago by 5JC
SFC D

This could not happen. It would be illegal for an illegal alien to purchase or own a firearm. This is obviously Fox News propaganda.

SFC D

So you can’t violate the first amendment in order to restrict the second. You need a law degree and the Supremes to figure that out? Sounds like a 7th grade civics question.

Odie

There are a lot of well paid people arguing for/against what is, like you said, a 7th grade civics question. I would say let’s ask a 7th grader, but now days, they can’t read an analog clock.

Hate_me

They appealed to the Supremes. Their analysis when it comes to saying unpopular things:

Stop, in the name of love; love is here and now you’re gone. I’m gonna make you love me no matter what sign you are and just some things you never get used to; your heart belongs to me even if it results in nothing but heartaches. I’m living’ in shame, but I hear a symphony and the happening, in my reflections, will reveal that ours was a stoned love and I had to make you stop. Up the ladder to the roof, your heart belongs to me and you’re either in my arms again or I’m pushing you off. Get ready, ‘cause not everybody’s got the right, anymore.

5JC

If you ask the left this is proof positive Alito and Thomas are on the take.

Thunderstixx

Heh….

Hate_me

We used to tar and feather political enemies of freedom in America before cooler heads prevailed….

I’m not seeing those cooler heads anywhere, now.

Hate_me

@administrators

My old college email finally expired, so I had to switch to a gmail account. If there’s anything I need to do to verify my identity, please reach out to my new address.

Mason

I’ve approved your posts, which I think will now start working for you with the new e-mail.

Hate_me

They have, thank you.

11B-Mailclerk

Dang. The sock-puppet foogas is getting pretty stale….

Hate_me

For whom are you suggesting I’m a sock-puppet?

JustALurkinAround

Did she cry while writing the opinion?

Skivvy Stacker

Amen.
If there’s one thing I hate more than anything else it’s government THREATS.