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

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear from the National Rifle Association on Monday 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 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 did share guidance about potential “reputational risks” of working with gun groups, but didn’t exert pressure on companies. Many businesses decided on their own to distance themselves from the group after the 2018 school shooting that left 17 people dead, her attorneys say in court documents.

The gun-rights group is being represented by a frequent political nemesis: The American Civil Liberties Union. The civil liberties group has said it opposes the NRA’s views but that the case could be a “playbook” for government officials to target other groups, including those on the other end of the ideological spectrum supporting abortion rights or environmental protections.

The justices are also hearing another case about the government and free speech Monday, considering how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security.

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