Bill Brewer Secured a Unanimous U.S. Supreme Court Victory for the NRA
Bill represented the National Rifle Association in one of the most consequential First Amendment cases in the 21st century.
The case centers on allegations the New York Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo used regulatory authority to compel banks and insurance carriers to sever ties with the NRA based on their viewpoints on gun ownership. The actions by the state included private meetings, public statements, and guidance letters urging financial institutions reconsider relationships with the NRA and other gun-advocacy groups.
In a stinging rebuke of New York’s “blacklisting campaign” against the NRA, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled for the NRA in its case against former New York State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria T. Vullo. The decision remanded the NRA’s case to the lower court, which revived the NRA’s claims that Vullo, at the behest of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, violated the NRA’s First Amendment rights when she urged banks and insurers to cut ties with the NRA in 2018.