NJ Library Censorship of Toddler Book Event is Unconstitutional

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NJ Library Censorship of Toddler Book Event is Unconstitutional

Palestine Legal, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the ACLU of New Jersey wrote the Highland Park Public Library today to inform the library that its cancellation of a May 19 event organized by the Central New Jersey chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) violates the First Amendment. The library had put out a statement that the event was cancelled pending a review by the library’s board after community members complained.

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Liz Jackson in the Tampa Bay Times

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Liz Jackson in the Tampa Bay Times

Florida governor Ron DeSantis plans to sign a bill that will treat criticism of Israel as discrimination against Jewish people. Senior Staff Attorney Liz Jackson writes in the Tampa Bay Times that the right to criticize Israel is a free speech issue.

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Civil Rights Groups Express Concern Over Florida Governor’s Cabinet Meeting in Israel

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Civil Rights Groups Express Concern Over Florida Governor’s Cabinet Meeting in Israel

Palestine Legal joined civil rights and human rights organizations to warn Florida governor Ron DeSantis that his plan to hold a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem violates the law. Florida became the most recent state to pass legislation aimed at silencing advocates for Palestinian rights. In April, the Florida House unanimously passed a bill that would classify criticism of Israeli policies or advocacy for Palestinian human rights as a form of discrimination against Jews in the state’s public schools. DeSantis is expected to sign this bill into law while he is in Israel.

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Radhika Sainath in Boston Review

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Radhika Sainath in Boston Review

On Thursday, senior staff attorney Radhika Sainath published an essay in Boston Review on the right to boycott. Her essay touches on the legal battles for and against anti-boycott legislation in more than two dozen states, as well as how these laws have impacted activists and everyday people.

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Court Hears New Oral Arguments in Fordham SJP Case

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Court Hears New Oral Arguments in Fordham SJP Case

Today, attorneys asked a New York State Supreme Court judge to allow a new student petitioner, sophomore Veer Shetty, to join a lawsuit against Fordham University over the school’s refusal to allow a Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) club on campus. Fordham opposed Veer joining the lawsuit and has barred students from forming an SJP since the club was approved by the student government in 2016. The original four petitioners who brought the lawsuit in April 2017 have graduated or will graduate in ten days. Judge Nancy Bannon indicated that parties should expect a decision next week.

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Dima Khalidi in USA Today

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Dima Khalidi in USA Today

Following a two-year investigation, the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) published a lengthy exposé in USA Today about the proliferation of legislation to curtail the boycott movement for Palestinian rights. Palestine Legal director Dima Khalidi spoke extensively with CPI on background and was quoted in the article

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Radhika Sainath on Censorship Attempts at UMass Amherst

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Radhika Sainath on Censorship Attempts at UMass Amherst

On Monday, a court in Boston postponed a hearing on an emergency motion demanding that the University of Massachusetts Amherst cancel an upcoming event on the censorship of speech supporting Palestinian rights. Senior Staff Attorney Radhika Sainath issued the following remarks, which were read by JVP member Rachel Weber at a press conference before Monday’s court appearance.

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