The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated a lawsuit filed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) claiming that New York state had infringed upon the NRA’s First Amendment freedom of speech rights.

New York officials allegedly urged insurance companies and financial service institutions to refrain from doing business with the NRA because of its support and promotion of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Not only was the decision unanimous, 9-0, but the opinion was drafted by liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

This was the second blow of a one-two punch coming from the court last week that disappointed liberals and centered on freedom of expression. The first was delivered by Justice Samuel Alito Wednesday over his own First Amendment rights.

He’s been under fire lately over a three-year-old neighborhood squabble that resulted in Mrs. Alito displaying an inverted American flag at their home for a brief period, and for flying a Revolutionary War-era “Appeal to Heaven” flag at their beach house two years later.

After Alito ignored pressure to resign from the court, Democratic Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island switched gears and called on his recusal from any future cases involving either former President Trump, or the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill rioters.

Whitehouse referred to the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which was commissioned by General George Washington, as a “MAGA battle flag.” Also known as the “Pine Tree” flag, San Francisco San Francisco displayed the same flag every day at city hall for 60 years.

The city only recently removed it because of the Alito brouhaha.

The Supreme Court justice gave his response Wednesday in a 3-page letter that concluded:

“A reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that this event does not meet the applicable standard for recusal. I am therefore duty-bound to reject your recusal request.”

The two senators then requested a meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts.

He declined, stating that such meetings are “rare” because of “the importance of preserving judicial independence counsel against such appearances.”

The right to self-expression, guaranteed by the First Amendment, is so sacred that the Supreme Court held 35 years ago that even burning the American flag was an act of protected speech — which suits liberals just fine.

But they become unglued if anyone even slightly defaces an image that’s sacred to them — despite the right to self-expression.

Saturday marked the beginning of Pride Month, and in recognition some communities, including St. Petersburg, Florida, have painted one or more city crosswalk in rainbow colors.

In response, someone decided to exercise his own First Amendment freedoms and spun a few donuts in his vehicle — something every self-respecting, red-blooded American male has done at least once in his life.

But he did it on the “Pride” crosswalk — something akin to slightly charring, but not destroying — an American flag.

The city of St. Petersburg neither saw the humor nor acknowledged the driver’s own right to express himself.

A manhunt is now underway for both him, and another driver who accelerated through the intersection a few days earlier, also leaving skid marks on the crosswalk mural.

If they’re found they’ll be charged with a felony — for leaving tire marks on the street.

Ultimately it might be better to not consider the burning of American flags acts protected by the First Amendment.

But conversely governments have no business cramming things like LGBTQ pride down our throats. Sexual preference is a very personal matter. Gay or straight, no one much cares as long as you don’t do it in the street and frighten the horses.

Yet we have a month of LGBTQ pride — in addition to Transgender Day of Visibility, Trans Day of Remembrance, Transgender Parent Day, Transgender Awareness Week, International Pronouns Day, LGBT History Month, Bisexual Health Awareness Month, Trans Awareness Month, and Transgender Awareness Week.

Even combined they recognize a small minority of the population.

Against all that we have one day — Independence Day — when we celebrate everything that’s American — something that we can all celebrate.

And that celebration should include the recognition that the rights enumerated in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are for us all — not just those with the loudest, most obnoxious voices.

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz’s Reports — More Here.

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