Federal Judge Blocks Texas Anti-BDS Law Being Enforced on Palestinian-American Contractor
A federal judge has blocked a Texas law being enforced against a Palestinian-American contractor that prohibits government agencies from doing business with companies that participated in the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) efforts against Israel.
The judge ruled that the law infringed on the contractor’s First Amendment rights.
The lawsuit was filed by A&R Engineering and Testing Inc. which is owned by a Palestinian-American named Rasmy Hassouna.
“Texas’s ban on contracting with any boycotter of Israel constitutes viewpoint discrimination that chills constitutionally protected political advocacy in support of Palestine,” A&R Engineering attorneys wrote in the complaint.
Hassouna’s company had worked with the city of Houston for 17 years, but refused to renew his contract over the anti-BDS law.
