After a month of delays and a false push by fellow students to invoke a distorted definition of antisemitism to block their event, the Palestine Cultural Club and Students for Justice in Palestine at Arizona State University successfully hosted a talk by popular Palestinian poet and journalist Mohammed El-Kurd on April 10.
Read MorePalestine Legal joined a wide coalition of activists, community and human rights groups, and prominent individuals in opposing a new attempt to stifle and criminalize Palestine advocacy in Arizona. Arizona lawmakers introduced mirror bills in January that would require the use of the distorted IHRA definition of antisemitism in hate crimes reporting and sentencing. The legislation could also require courts to consider criticism of Israel as an aggravating factor in sentencing. In a criminal trial, advocates for Palestinian rights could face more severe sentences because of their political speech.
Read MoreMonths after a federal court blocked Arizona from enforcing its anti-boycott law saying it was unconstitutional, the state has attempted to revive the law by amending it so that it no longer applies to the man who challenged it. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed SB 1167 amending the state’s 2016 anti-boycott law prohibiting state contractors from supporting boycotts of Israel. This was despite significant opposition to the amendment in the Arizona House, where it passed 37-21 with vigorous debate.
Read MoreThe Center for Constitutional Rights and Palestine Legal filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of an ACLU lawsuit seeking to strike down an Arizona law prohibiting state contractors from boycotting Israel.
Read MoreA federal court has blocked enforcement of an Arizona anti-boycott law.
Read MoreToday, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit arguing that an Arizona anti-boycott law violates the First Amendment. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Mikkel Jordhal, a lawyer whose solely-owned law firm contracts with the state to represent indigent inmates. In order to contract with the state, Jordhal was required to certify that his law firm did not participate in boycotts of Israel.
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