The National Rifle Association (NRA) lost a First Amendment claim against the New York insurance regulator in the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court ruled that the regulator did not violate the NRA’s free speech rights when she warned banks and insurance companies about the risks of doing business with the NRA. The court found that the remarks did not contain implied threats to the institutions so could not be taken as government coercion intended to stifle speech. (Insurance Journal, September 23, 2022, by Andrew G. Simpson)
The former superintendent of the Department of Financial Services, Maria Vullo, had in April of 2018 cautioned banks and insurers to consider risks to their reputations in working with gun rights groups. In February of 2018 a young man killled 17 at a high school in Florida. (Reuters, September 23, 2022, by Jonathan Stempel)