The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) will represent the National Rifle Association (NRA) in National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo, which the Supreme Court has agreed to hear, Reason reports. The case is relevant beyond the NRA—particularly for entities related to sexuality or tolerant of sex work." We don't support the NRA's mission or its viewpoints on gun rights, and we don't agree with their goals, strategies, or tactics," the ACLU said on X. "But we both know that government officials can't punish organizations because they disapprove of their views." The case involves actions taken by Maria Vullo after the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., Vullo was superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), which has regulatory and enforcement power over banks and insurance companies in the state.
In April 2018, DFS issued a "Guidance on Risk Management Relating to the NRA and Similar Gun Promotion Organizations" to banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions. The guidance mentioned "several recent horrific shootings, including in Parkland" and noted the "social backlash" that these had produced against the NRA. The agency encouraged institutions "to continue evaluating and managing their risks, including reputational risks, that may arise from their dealings with the NRA or similar gun promotion organizations, if any." DFS also urged companies to think of their own "codes of social responsibility" and "to review any relationships they have with the NRA or similar gun promotion organizations, and to take prompt actions to manag[e] these risks and promote public health and safety." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office put out a press release crowing that Cuomo had told DFS "to urge insurance companies, New York State-chartered banks, and other financial services companies licensed in New York to review any relationships they may have with the National Rifle Association and other similar organizations."