SB 8017 is an unequivocally unconstitutional attack on First Amendment freedoms that strikes at New York’s college students. Boycotts to effect political, social or economic change are a constitutionally-protected form of speech, association and assembly, and have a long history of being used successfully to address injustice.
Read MorePalestine Legal joins with the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) to express serious concern about the University of California Irvine’s treatment of student protestors.
On May 18, students at UC Irvine (UCI) gathered outside a film screening featuring a panel of Israeli soldiers, to protest police brutality and draw connections between state violence at home and abroad. The coalition included the Black Student Union, Muslim Student Union, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, La Resilencia Trans/Queer de UCI, American Indian Student Association, Asian Pacific Student Association, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Students for Justice in Palestine.
Read MoreExecutive Order No. 157 is a blatantly unconstitutional attack on freedom of speech and establishes a dangerous precedent reminiscent of McCarthyism. It is unprecedented for a state to create a list of entities that support or engage in a First Amendment protected political activity, and deny them financial benefits because of it. Boycotts are a constitutionally-protected form of speech, association and assembly, and have a long history of being used successfully to address injustice and demand political change.
Read MoreIn a written decision issued last Friday, a City University of New York (CUNY) disciplinary committee exonerated Sarah Aly and Thomas DeAngelis, two Brooklyn College students charged with violating the “Henderson Rules” for taking part in a February 16 “mic check” at a meeting of faculty council. The students, seniors Sarah Aly and Thomas DeAngelis, appeared at a hearing to face harsh measures for the mic check, including possible expulsion. The day after the mic check, the college’s president and provost sent an email to the entire college community, falsely stating that the group of students had made “anti-Jewish comments” at the meeting. Palestine Legal and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) represented the two students at the hearing and are urging Brooklyn College President Gould to apologize.
Read MoreAs a growing number of local unions endorse Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) in solidarity with Palestinian workers, the United Auto Workers (UAW) Public Review Board last week affirmed a decision to nullify the BDS resolution adopted by members of Local 2865.
Today, Palestine Legal wrote to the president of St. Louis University to express outrage over the school’s decision to discipline sophomore Christopher Winston for expressing his political viewpoints at a student-organized event about Israel’s humanitarian aid around the world. SLU’s decision to punish Mr. Winston, who is black, raises serious questions about the university’s ability to implement its policies in a manner that does not discriminate on the basis of race and in a manner that respects diverse political viewpoints
Read MoreAs we grapple with the reality that Palestine Legal’s founding Advisory Board member and trailblazing human rights attorney, Michael Ratner, is no longer with us, we wanted to share some examples of his thinking and work for Palestinian human rights. Since his death last week, much has been said of his pioneering legal work – from the Democracy Now! special, to the New York Times obituary, to the Center for Constitutional Rights’ (CCR) statement, and beyond.
Less known and celebrated is his work on Palestine in particular, which illustrates the principled commitment to justice on which Michael operated. As Maria LaHood, Deputy Legal Director at CCR and Palestine Legal Advisory Board Chair, says:
Palestine Legal is an independent organization dedicated to defending and advancing the civil rights and liberties
of people in the US who speak out for Palestinian freedom.
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