“It’s a one-of-a-kind case,” NRA attorney Sarah Rogers said in court Thursday. “We have real constitutional claims here.”
She also argued on technical grounds that Albany, not New York City, was the proper venue for the case based on where the organization’s office was incorporated.
“The NRA is fighting for its very existence,” she said. “To the extent that there’s any ambiguity, why not let us fight for our existence in the place we chose?”
But Jonathan Conley, a lawyer for the AG’s office, said the court should be allowed to proceed in state court in Manhattan, and the judge agreed.
“The state of New York and this court have a vital interest in retaining this state enforcement action,” Conley said. “The complaint is premised entirely on New York law. … This action implicated public interests and questions of state law that are of critical importance to this state and this court.”
“Today’s order reaffirms what we’ve known all along: the NRA does not get to dictate if and where they will answer for their actions,” James said in a statement. “We thank the court for allowing our case to move forward and look forward to holding the NRA accountable.”
— Erin Durkin in Judge refuses to dismiss New York AG’s lawsuit against NRA