This NRA Supreme Court Case Has Big Implications for Porn
The ACLU will represent the gun rights group in a case with widespread relevance for free speech.
Strange bedfellows make for good First Amendment warriors in a case concerning guns, financial institutions, and free speech. Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced that it will represent the National Rifle Association (NRA) in National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo, which the Supreme Court recently agreed to hear. The case is an interesting one, with more than a bit of relevance 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 posted on X (formerly Twitter) on December 9. "But we both know that government officials can't punish organizations because they disapprove of their views."
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The case involves actions taken by Maria Vullo in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018. 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. They then 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."