The National Rifle Association (NRA) scored a significant victory Wednesday after a judge ruled against the New York attorney general’s wishes to dissolve the gun-rights group.
Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the NRA in August 2020 for alleged financial misconduct on behalf of the organization’s top members, including Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, the Daily Caller reported.
However, New York state Justice Joel Cohen denied James’ petition to dissolve the organization, writing, “The complaint does not allege the type of public harm that is the legal linchpin for imposing the ‘corporate death penalty,” per Reuters.
Nonetheless, Cohen told James she could seek “less intrusive” claims against the organization’s leaders.
James issued a press release amidst the ruling, displaying her displeasure.
“Today, the court affirmed my office’s right to pursue its long-standing claims that fraud, abuse, and greed permeate through the NRA and its senior leadership. While we’re heartened that the judge rejected the NRA’s attempts to thwart most of the claims in our case against the NRA, we are disappointed that the judge ruled against the dissolution portion of the case,” the attorney general’s press release states.
Despite the massive step back for the attorney general, James vowed to consider legal options moving forward and affirmed her commitment “to enforcing New York law regardless of how powerful any individual or organization may be.”
On the other hand, William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, and counsel to the NRA applauded the ruling. He pledged to continue “the defense of the NRA – and proving that it acts in the best interests of its members and the Second Amendment freedoms in which they believe.”
NRA President Charles Cotton further commented on the victory, saying, “The message is loud and clear: the NRA is strong and secure in its mission to protect constitutional freedom.”
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