( May 29, 2026, 2:45 PM EDT) -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a respondent brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court, the Securities and Exchange Commissioned urges the court to deny a petition for a writ of certiorari filed by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), individuals and other entities who had entered into settlements with the SEC asking the court to determine whether a now-rescinded SEC rule requiring defendants to agree not to publicly deny allegations against them before entering into a settlement with the SEC, known as the Gag Rule, violates the First Amendment.  The SEC says the petition is moot because the agency recently repealed the rule....