Breaking: @ACLU petitions the Supreme Court to hear the case of Alan Leveritt, Publisher of @ArkTimes & @TheBoycottFilm protagonist. Alan refused to sign the anti-boycott pledge in defense of freedom of the press. Alan explains why on this clip from the film. #righttoboycott
The case centers around Arkansas's anti-boycott law that requires public contractors to sign a pledge promising that they do not boycott Israel. Our team @JustVisionMedia has been tracking these bills for several years. justvision.org/boycott/synops…
Versions of this law passed in 34 states since 2015. If you refuse to sign the pro-Israel pledge, you are fired from your job. legislation.palestinelegal.org
Over the past few years, several Americans have sued their respective states for violating their First Amendment rights. They include a speech therapist in Texas, a news publisher in Arizona, and a lawyer in Arizona. tucson.com/opinion/local/…
Judges in Texas, Arizona, Georgia and Kansas have ALL found that the law was unconstitutional. texastribune.org/2019/04/26/Tex…
The big exception was Arkansas where Alan Leveritt, Publisher of the Arkansas Times, is the plaintiff. He’s actually not involved in a boycott of Israel but saw the bill as a template that could be used to attack the rights of Americans on any issue area. nytimes.com/2021/11/22/opi…
Alan lost in District Court. The ACLU appealed to a three-judge panel at the Eighth Circuit and won the case. The State of Arkansas requested a re-hearing en banc which was granted and a few months ago, the court overturned the decision.
The ruling, by Judge Kobes (a Trump appointee who received a “not qualified” ABA rating) claims that a boycott is simply economic activity, without expressive qualities. Kobes was the General Counsel for Republican Sen. Mike Rounds, a co-sponsor of a federal anti-boycott law.
When we started production, the risk that anti-BDS bills would be used as a template was still theoretical. By the time we locked-picture, it was a reality. There are now anti-boycott bills targeting your right to protest the fossil fuels industry. nprillinois.org/2022-03-16/tex…
There are also laws targeting your right to protest the weapons industry. azcentral.com/story/opinion/…
When we started production, the risk that the anti-BDS bill would be used as a template was still theoretical. By the time we locked-picture, it was a reality. There are now anti-boycott bills targeting your right to protest the fossil fuels industry. nprillinois.org/2022-03-16/tex…
There are also laws targeting your right to protest the gun industry. azcentral.com/story/opinion/…
Earlier today, Brian Hauss, the ACLU's chief litigator in the case, said that the Eighth Circuit decision "badly misreads binding precedent and withdraws First Amendment protection for freedoms that have been proudly exercised since the Boston Tea Party.
...Worse yet, the decision upholds the government’s power to selectively suppress boycotts that express messages with which the government disagrees."
He urged the Supreme Court to take up the case "in order to reaffirm that the First Amendment protects the right to participate in politically-motivated consumer boycotts.”
Brian is referencing the Civil-Rights Era precedent set by the Supreme Court that a consumer boycott is protected political speech, resting on the "highest rung of hierarchy of First Amendment values." supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/…
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