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18  NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA v. VULLO 

Opinion of the Court 

the  publishers  in  order  to  suppress  the  publishers’  disfa-
vored  speech.  372  U. S.,  at  66–71.    Similarly,  in  Back-
page.com, a sheriff interfered with a website’s business re-
lationships  with  payments-service  providers  in  order  to
eliminate  the  website’s  “adult  section”  (if  not  the  website
itself ).  807 F. 3d, at 230–232, 235–236.  In that case, the 
sheriff  wanted  to  “suffocat[e]”  the  website,  “depriving  the
company of ad revenues by scaring off its payments-service
providers.”  Id., at 231.  “The analogy,” the Seventh Circuit
explained, “is to killing a person by cutting off his oxygen 
supply  rather  than  by  shooting  him.”    Ibid.    So  too  here.  
One can reasonably infer from the complaint that Vullo co-
erced DFS-regulated entities to cut their ties with the NRA
in order to stifle the NRA’s gun-promotion advocacy and ad-
vance her views on gun control.  See, e.g., supra, at 12–15; 
App.  to  Pet.  for  Cert.  221,  230–235,  Complaint  ¶¶67,  87–
105.  Vullo knew, after all, that the NRA relied on insurance 
and financing “to disseminate its message.”  Id., at 231, ¶92; 
see id., at 203–204, ¶¶28–29.6 

Lastly, Vullo falls back on the argument that a ruling in
the NRA’s favor would interfere with the government’s abil-
ity  to  function  properly.  She  claims  that  the  NRA’s  posi-
tion, if accepted, would stifle government speech and ham-
per legitimate enforcement efforts.  This argument falls flat
for  the  simple  reason  that  it  requires  the  Court  to  accept
Vullo’s  limited  reading  of  the  complaint.    The  Court  does 
not  break  new  ground  in  deciding  this  case.  It  only  reaf-
firms the general principle from Bantam Books that where, 
as  here,  the  complaint  plausibly  alleges  coercive  threats 
aimed at punishing or suppressing disfavored speech, the 
plaintiff states a First Amendment claim. 

—————— 

6 Vullo’s boss, Governor Cuomo, also urged businesses to disassociate 
with the NRA to put the organization “into financial jeopardy” and “shut
them down.”  App. 21 (Aug. 3, 2018, tweet).