Florida Redefines Antisemitism to Censor Criticism of Israel
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NJ Library Censorship of Toddler Book Event is Unconstitutional
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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.
Read MoreLiz Jackson in the Tampa Bay Times
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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.
Read MoreCivil Rights Groups Express Concern Over Florida Governor’s Cabinet Meeting in Israel
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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.
Read MoreRadhika Sainath in Boston Review
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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.
Read MoreCourt Hears New Oral Arguments in Fordham SJP Case
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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.
Read MoreDima Khalidi in USA Today
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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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