Democracy Dies in Darkness

Federal judge denies NRA attempt to declare bankruptcy in win for New York state attorney general

May 11, 2021 at 6:25 p.m. EDT
NRA leader Wayne LaPierre testified twice during the bankruptcy hearing. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

A federal judge Tuesday denied an effort by the National Rifle Association to file for bankruptcy protection, ruling that the gun rights group had filed the case in a bad-faith attempt to fend off a lawsuit by the New York attorney general.

“The Court finds, based on the totality of the circumstances, that the NRA’s bankruptcy petition was not filed in good faith but instead was filed as an effort to gain an unfair litigation advantage in the NYAG Enforcement Action and as an effort to avoid a regulatory scheme,” Judge Harlin Hale wrote in a 37-page decision.