David Lombardo reports in the Albany Times Union that the American Civil Liberties Union is against attempts by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to have a court dismiss a lawsuit filed by the National Rifle Association against the state of New York. The federal lawsuit claims state regulators violated the NRA's First Amendment rights by sabotaging its financial stability. The lawsuit says that Cuomo discouraged banks and insurers from conducting business with the NRA through the state Department of Financial Services. "Although public officials are free to express their opinions and may condemn viewpoints or groups they view as inimical to public welfare, they cannot abuse their regulatory authority to retaliate against disfavored advocacy organizations and to impose burdens on those organizations' ability to conduct lawful business," states the ACLU brief. But DFS Superintendent Maria Vullo said the job of DFS is to safeguard the integrity of the financial services industry, and New York is within its rights to stop an "illegal insurance product" marketed by the NRA. The New York Civil Liberties Union has not intervened in the case. Read the full story in the Albany Times Union.