WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Rifle Association has had high-profile success over the years in shaping gun-rights legislation in Congress and statehouses and in working to defeat lawmakers who support tighter gun restrictions.
Now, the group's strategy is shifting, and the NRA is looking to extend its influence in courthouses.
In recent years, the group has expanded its scope to oppose President Barack Obama's judicial nominees, who it believes would enforce laws that restrict gun rights.
Those efforts have drawn less attention than legislative efforts, yet the result has been to ensure that federal and state courts are stocked with gun-rights-friendly judges.
The NRA opposed Obama's Supreme Court nominees and, during election campaigns, the lawmakers who voted to confirm them.
