PHOENIX— In a transparent attempt to avoid another free speech loss for Arizona in court, Gov. Doug Ducey today signed legislation, SB 1167, amending a 2016 law that requires government contractors to certify they are not participating in boycotts of Israel or Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Kathy Brody, ACLU of Arizona legal director, made the following statement regarding the passage of SB 1167:
“Arizona is clearly running scared after a federal district court ruled that its law violates the First Amendment right to boycott. If the state had the courage of its convictions, it would have defended its law in court. Instead, it passed a face-saving measure to evade judicial review without curing the fundamental constitutional defect. We’re glad that thousands of individuals and small businesses throughout Arizona, including our client, will no longer be required to sign these unconstitutional anti-BDS certifications. Any businesses asked to sign these certifications under the new law should call the ACLU of Arizona.”
More information about SB 1167 is available here: https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/arizona-lawmakers-running-scared-after-anti-boycott-law-ruled-unconstitutional
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