Yeah, that's already a thing. New York, California, Florida, Missouri, and Illinois enforced their anti-boycott laws in 2018 against Airbnb when Airbnb said they would remove Israeli listings that were in areas where the land was taken from people. Airbnb stood to be completely forbidden from the largest economic markets in the United States at the behest of the Israeli strategic affairs minister Gilad Erdan.
There's been challenges to these kinds of laws like Arkansas Times LP v. Waldrip, but the State upheld the Legislation and SCOTUS refused to hear the case letting stand Arkansas' ability to force all companies operating within the State to "stand with Israel" or face removal from any State program and anyone whom they did business with removal from State funds. Because that's what happened with the Newspaper. The Newspaper itself had no contracts with the State, but those who advertised might and they would be prohibited from purchasing ad space in the newspaper.
There's Jordahl v. Brnovich where a lawyer was providing legal services in Coconino County, Arizona and was found by Arizona's anti-boycott law with regards to Israel. Eventually appellate courts sided with the lawyer that such a ban on boycott's was against the State's Constitution, but Legislators eventually carved out an exception for legal firms and rendered all further cases moot before it could make it to the Supreme Court of Arizona.
There's Martin v. Wrigley where a filmmaker would not sign a pledge for State film making funding that they would not "boycott Israel" per the State of Georgia's anti-boycott laws. In the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the court ruled that the law was compelled speech. The State then amended the law to not apply to businesses under $100,000 rendering any final challenge moot. And any losses were indemnified as the State of Georgia claimed qualified immunity. In appeals, the Eleventh Circuit in a per curium that was unpublished affirmed the lower court's ruling but did not rule on the full Constitutionality of the law. The Eleventh dropped the case completely in June of 2023.
There's Koontz v. Watson where a Mennonite church boycotted Israel and the State of Kansas required a math teacher who was a member of that church to sign an affidavit that she did not boycott Israel before she could attend a required teaching seminar. That one went really complicated, very long story short, the State carved out an exception in HB 2482 and the court's dismissed the matter as moot. The Teacher was allowed to attend the training.
And I could go on and on and on, because at the State level there are several legal challenges in pretty much every State to the various State laws that prohibit boycotting Israel. So yeah, on this "it's already a thing" pretty much everywhere and we are nowhere near through enough court cases to get some final resolution on these kinds of "you cannot boycott Israel" laws. They're likely going to be around for another ten to twenty years if we just keep chipping away at them via legal challenges.
And that's likely the success that Missouri is trying to get with this law. Get a good solid thirty or so years out of "you cannot boycott conservative values" and seed things into a new generation by force, since allowing people to measure these conservative values by their own accord isn't working. But yeah, if this law passes, it's golden for at least three decades or enough of Missouri's Assembly changes to remove the law.
If a legislator tries to pass something so blatantly obviously against the constitution, they should be thrown in jail and barred from ever writing another law again.
Yes, I know that’d put a lot of politicians in jail. Doesn’t that put a smile on your face, too?
Missouri is the poorest and least consequential state in America. They have nothing at all to offer the country and have no say in anything that happens outside of their own shitty, unimportant borders. Even if this passes, it won’t matter. What companies are even HQd in Missouri?
a) Directly environmentally destructive companies
b) Gun-related companies
c) Companies that refuse to do anything about their global warming emissions
d) Companies that make racist and/or sexist promotion decisions
e) Medical companies that refuse to provide full reproductive and/or trans care
f) Companies that do business with any of the above
Nice list of priorities. You can boycott a company for trying to fix the environment but not for destroying it. You can boycott a company for trying to prevent gun violence but not for promoting it. You can boycott a company for trying to help fight against global warming but not for contributing to it. You can boycott a company for fighting against racism and sexism but not for enforcing it. You can boycott a company for providing reproductive or trans care but not for refusing to.
Wait, you're telling me that this is a one-sided law made in bad faith to illegalize behavior that's 100% constitutionally protected but that negatively impacts the conservative right while still allowing actions that negatively impact the left? Say it ain't so.
Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect." - Frank Wilhoit
Conservatism is not a protected class. It is perfectly legal to discriminate against someone based on their political orientation.
We have a moral duty to not engage in business with bigots, misogynists, homophobes, transphobes, xenophobes, antisemites and racists. Conservatism should be openly excluded from polite society without fear. It is the moral thing to do.
A lot of people in the comments are saying how this won’t hold up or how unconstitutional it is but 35 fucking states have already passed anti-bds (boycotts, divestment*, and sanctions) laws that do the same thing as this bill but Israel. If the politicians are sufficiently bribed enough, they won’t care what the laws actually are.
What’s the outrage here, that a State Government can make rules on who they will or won’t do business with? That’s all this Bill is looking to do. If a company wants to do business with the State of Missouri then they can’t economically boycott other companies in a handful of industries that Conservatives care about. If a company doesn’t do business with the State of Missouri then this law won’t apply.
Politically motivated rules controlling Government spending exist at all levels from Federal down through Municipal. Money is power and Politicians are always willing to flex.
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