NEW YORK, Jan 21 (Reuters) - A New York state judge on Thursday rejected the National Rifle Association's bid to dismiss, put on hold, or transfer a lawsuit by New York Attorney General Letitia James seeking its dissolution.

Justice Joel Cohen of Manhattan Supreme Court ruled six days after the gun rights group filed for bankruptcy protection and said it planned to reincorporate in the more gun-friendly Texas, after 150 years in New York. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York)