Another frivolous lawsuit against the American Studies Association’s Boycott

Israel advocacy groups are piling on meritless legal threats to punish the American Studies Association (ASA) in the latest attempt to erode the right to boycott.

Inside Higher Ed reports on the newest lawsuit against the ASA, which was filed on Wednesday by “Athenaeum,” an organization that “has not attempted to apply for ASA membership.”

The article quotes Palestine Legal staff attorney Radhika Sainath, who described the complaint as “a meritless lawsuit based on a hypothetical injury that will be thrown out of court in a heartbeat.”

It's brought by an organization which did not exist prior to ASA’s [boycott] resolution, and appears to have been formed for the sole purpose of suing the ASA . . . Rather than engage the issue of Israel's human rights abuses on the merits, Israel advocacy groups are attempting to punish speech by enmeshing supporters of Palestinian freedom in expensive litigation. This is quintessential legal bullying.