The Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece on May 15 by James Freeman, assistant editor of the WSJ editorial page, in support of a lawsuit filed by the firm. The piece, “The NRA vs. Authoritarianism,” explores an alleged effort by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) to attack the First Amendment rights of the National Rifle Association (NRA) through “guidance” (to not do business with the NRA) provided to businesses that are regulated by DFS.
Mr. Freeman writes, “Read the lawsuit filed on Friday by the National Rifle Association against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, his Department of Financial Services, and its Superintendent Maria Vullo. Also check out the governor’s April 19 press release on the topic. Then imagine that the target of Mr. Cuomo’s recent assault on political speech is anyone other than the gun-rights group.”
The Freeman opinion piece continues, “…it’s wrong to use powers intended to ensure the health of financial institutions to silence those with whom the governor disagrees on public policy. The main “reputational risk” here for financial companies is that they will serve clients who are unpopular in the governor’s office. If Mr. Cuomo can then freeze the otherwise law-abiding clients out of the financial system, he can put them out of business. That’s tyranny, and if the Cuomo precedent stands against the NRA, count on it being used against other controversial speakers in the future.”
Wall Street Journal Opinion Piece Focuses on Lawsuit Filed by the Firm
