The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the National Rifle Association (NRA) plausibly alleged that a former New York state official violated the First Amendment by pressuring insurance companies to cut ties with the gun rights organization.

“A government official can share her views freely and criticize particular beliefs, and she can do so forcefully in the hopes of persuading others to follow her lead,” Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the majority opinion on May 30.
“In doing so, she can rely on the merits and force of her ideas, the strength of her convictions, and her ability to inspire others. What she cannot do, however, is use the power of the State to punish or suppress disfavored expression.”

Justices Neil Gorsuch and Ketanji Brown Jackson filed concurring opinions.

NRA v. Vullo emerged out of the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida, shooting on Feb. 14, 2018. The Supreme Court’s decision allows the gun rights organization to proceed with its First Amendment claims in a lower court.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit had rejected the NRA’s First Amendment arguments and said that regardless, New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) Superintendent Maria Vullo was entitled to qualified immunity.

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