The ACLU has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case with enormous implications for American’s right to boycott -- a right that the Supreme Court has previously ruled as a form of free speech. This past summer, in an alarming break from precedent, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that boycotts are not protected by the First Amendment. The focus now is on the right to boycott Israel for its abuse of Palestinian human rights, but there are now copycat bills, using nearly identical language targeting boycotts of fossil fuels, firearms and other industries. What is at stake is the very right of people in America to wield boycotts as a form of political expression.
A quick way to learn more details about the issue is via Amy Goodman’s reporting on Democracy Now!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PUVYzPpYvo. Goodman’s reporting includes considerable footage from Just Vision’s film “Boycott” which was the subject of Voices From the Holy Land’s recent online discussion. (See that excellent discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie0lzkujyrs).
Alan Leveritt, founder and publisher of The Arkansas Times, is the person whose lawsuit against Arkansas’s anti-boycott law is being taken to the Supreme Court by the ACLU. Here he explains his stance in a New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/22/opinion/israel-arkansas-bds-pledge.html.
While there is no guarantee that the Supreme Court will accept the case for review, its implications for our right of free speech make it a very important issue. Please join UUJME's Legislative Working Group by sending an email to [email protected]. The Legislative Working Group seeks to engage local UUs in efforts to oppose legislative initiatives detrimental to the resolution of the Palestine-Israeli conflict and to support actions that will have a positive effect. Please join our efforts in fighting for Palestinian human rights and in retaining traditional American values that are at risk of being eroded.
This blog post was written by UUJME Chapter leader Allan Kellum.
