A New York judge on Monday banned Wayne LaPierre, the former head of the National Rifle Association (NRA), from holding a paid position with the organization for a decade. The decision by Judge Joel Cohen came on the last day of oral arguments in the second phase of a civil lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
In his ruling, Cohen said the state’s request for a monitor was not the correct remedy, suggesting the outside oversight mechanism would be “time-consuming, disruptive and will impose significant costs on the NRA without corresponding benefits.”The split decision refrained from appointing an independent monitor to oversee the gun rights group’s finances. Cohen expressed concerns about “speech-chilling government intrusion on the affairs of the organization.”
He stated that the same First Amendment concerns do not apply to whether LaPierre could serve anytime soon in the organization. “This relief is about the privilege, not the right, to serve as an officer or director of a New York not-for-profit,” he said. The NRA called New York Attorney General Letitia James‘ attempt to dissolve the NRA and install an independent monitor a “politically motivated attack” and celebrated the decision as a victory.
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Earlier this year, a jury found LaPierre and another deputy liable for misspending millions of dollars on personal expenses about $5.4 million. The jury ordered LaPierre to repay the NRA nearly $4.35 million, while retired NRA Chief Financial Officer Wilson “Woody” Phillips was ordered to repay $2 million. James sought an independent monitor to oversee the group’s finances and compliance with whistleblower policies. She was also seeking to bar LaPierre, the organization’s mouthpiece for decades, from returning to the NRA, and is banned from serving in any fiduciary role with the organization for 10 years.
The proceedings highlighted the leadership, culture, and financing of the organization, with state lawyers accusing LaPierre of siphoning millions of dollars from the organization to fund his lavish lifestyle, including trips on private jets and other personal gifts. The second phase of the proceeding was a bench trial, meaning there was no jury, and the judge handed down the verdict. Earlier this month, Jeffrey Tenenbaum, a lawyer testifying for the state as an expert in nonprofit law, described the organization’s policy manual as “a dumpster fire.” State attorneys noted that LaPierre hadn’t been reprimanded by the organization. Although the NRA has touted a change in leadership, several LaPierre loyalists remain in its upper echelons.
The NRA has lost more than 1.3 million members since 2018, according to expert reports. James sued the NRA and its executives in 2020 under her authority to investigate not-for-profits registered in the state. She originally sought to have the entire organization dissolved, but the judge ruled in 2022 that the allegations did not warrant a “corporate death penalty.”
