Supreme Court will hear NRA free-speech lawsuit against a former New York state official

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear from the National Rifle Association in a lawsuit against a former New York state official who the NRA says pressured banks and insurance companies to blacklist the group after the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The high court is hearing the case on Monday. The NRA says former New York State Department of Financial Services superintendent Maria Vullo used her regulatory power to economically punish the group for its gun-rights stance in violation of the First Amendment. Vullo says she put out guidance saying companies could put their reputations at risk if they work with gun groups, but didn’t exert pressure and many businesses decided on their own to distance themselves from the group after the 2018 school shooting.