Constitutional right

• Wayne LaPierre will resign from the National Rifle Association at the end of January 2024.
• During most of the 33 years he spent at its helm as its executive vice president, the gun group’s membership, revenue and clout grew sharply.
• The group announced his impending departure shortly before the NRA’s civil fraud trial began in New York City.

From defeat to victory

• He joined the NRA as a state lobbyist after working as a legislative aide to Virginia state Delegate Alfred Victor “Vic” Thomas, a conservative Democrat.
• Often described as bookish and quiet, LaPierre brought to the NRA his considerable skills as a political strategist.
• He also developed a pugnacious public persona, memorably calling federal agents “jack-booted government thugs” in a 1995 fundraising letter.

Fighting gun control

• Though it occasionally celebrated and supported hunting or shooting sports, it increasingly emphasized the importance of firearms for self-defense.
• With LaPierre at the helm of the NRA, congressional action toward gun control ground to a near halt.
• LaPierre also led the NRA through a sea change in the prevailing legal interpretation of the Second Amendment as its long effort to enshrine gun ownership as a constitutional right came to fruition.
• Those rulings have forced states to reassess gun regulations already on their books.

Losing members, waning influence

• All told, they allegedly misused $64 million of the funds in the NRA’s coffers.
• The NRA is reportedly hemorrhaging members, a key source of its operating revenue and the heart of its political power.
• For the moment, it’s still the largest gun advocacy organization, though the spending gap between gun rights and gun control groups continues to narrow.

No permanent replacement yet

• And yet his influence will remain in the short run, as longtime confidant Andrew Arulanandam will step into his shoes on an interim basis.
• The NRA’s board will decide on a permanent replacement in May, when the group holds its annual meeting in Dallas.

Cari Babitzke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• For over 50 years, SEC has forbidden all enforcement targets from even truthfully criticizing their cases in public.
• Supreme Court precedent forbids the government from conditioning anyone’s ability to receive a benefit on surrendering their constitutional rights.
• NCLA is confident that the Court will recognize this fatal flaw—among others—in SEC’s gag orders.
• The Supreme Court has long recognized that even murderers retain their First Amendment rights to speak and publish about their prosecutions.

• CINCINNATI, Jan. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bill Appleton, chief legal officer for The E.W.
• Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), will retire at the end of 2024, and the company has appointed Deputy General Counsel Dave Giles to replace him.
• Appleton joined Scripps in 2008 and has counseled its leadership team on every major decision since then.
• "Dave will work closely with Bill to ensure a smooth transition, and I know we will remain in good hands."

• WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a year where student journalists are playing an increasingly crucial role in the news ecosystem, the Student Press Law Center ( SPLC ) celebrates its 50th anniversary as the sole legal organization exclusively devoted to supporting student journalists.
• As student press freedoms face unprecedented challenges, this year's Student Press Freedom Day on Feb. 22, adopts the theme “Powerfully Persistent.”
  “SPLC's half-century milestone underscores the critical need to safeguard the First Amendment rights of student journalists who are navigating a landscape fraught with challenges,” said Gary Green, SPLC's executive director and a veteran journalist.
• As a result, the bill has gained tremendous momentum , and if successful, will make Wisconsin the 18th state to restore student press freedom.
• As SPLC celebrates its 50th year, the organization appeals for contributions at www.splc.org/donate to promote, support and defend the rights of student journalists and faculty advisers nationwide.