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Brewer client the National Rifle Association of American (NRA) completed a historic resolution of a multi-year legal battle with New York Attorney General Letitia James in December 2024. Brewer has represented the NRA since 2018, in connection with the NYAG’s efforts to “eliminate the Association” – which a court judgment, dated December 11, 2024, favorably resolves.
Alongside a unanimous Supreme Court victory this summer, this final judgment marked another high-profile, historic victory in the firm’s representation of the gun group.
Following a year-long investigation, NYAG James sued to dissolve the Association and seize its assets in August 2020. After the NRA defeated the NYAG’s “corporate death penalty” claim, James sought a court-appointed monitor to oversee the gun group. The court rejected that request this summer. The final judgment that was entered was tailored to compliance and governance measures in the NRA’s interest – many proposed by the NRA itself, and several of which were already underway at the Association.
The NRA pays no fines or penalties under the final judgment. Instead, the judgment entitles the NRA to collect millions of dollars from two former executives found to have breached their duties. In sum, following over a month of trial proceedings, Justice Joel Cohen denied all invasive relief sought by the government.
The NRA’s defense focused on its compliance efforts and the organization’s commitment to good governance following whistleblower complaints that emerged in the summer of 2018. When the NRA Board was alerted to the allegations, it led an investigation and determined that certain individuals participated in transactions that ran afoul of NRA policies and procedures. Testimony confirmed the “tone at the top” of the NRA has indeed changed.
“It was a privilege to be part of this historic, multi-year defense of freedom,” says NRA counsel William A. Brewer III. “Board leaders confronted the ultimate challenge and threat. They deserve credit for standing firm to protect the Association, its mission to defend constitutional freedoms, and the rights of millions of members. The goal from day one was that the NRA remain free to chart its course.”
The judgment caps a six-year saga during which the firm defended the NRA against a barrage of other blue-state regulatory actions, sweeping congressional inquiries, and a debanking effort by New York officials that became the subject of a blockbuster Supreme Court decision in June. In that case, NRA v. Vullo, all nine justices backed the Association’s First Amendment claims. The Brewer firm served as lead counsel in the Vullo case, and co-counsel with the ACLU before the Supreme Court.
“When we undertook this representation, we committed to keep the NRA safe and secure,” Brewer says. “The effort involved not only our lawyers but business professionals, investigators, and crisis communications experts. The final judgment marks the exclamation point on our collective advocacy and vision.”
Joining Brewer in representing the NRA were firm partners Sarah B. Rogers, Svetlana M. Eisenberg, and Noah Peters, and associate Josh Dillon.
Related News
“Judge Lets N.R.A. Keep Its Independence but Pushes for Reforms,” The New York Times
“Judge Tosses New York AG’s Bid to Dissolve NRA,” The Wall Street Journal
“NRA Scores Court Victory Against AG Letitia James in New York,” Daily Caller
“Judge Blocks NY’s Bid to Shutter NRA, but Lawsuits Continues,” Associated Press
