At a Glance
Date Filed:
Current Status
Our Team:
- Maria LaHood
- Astha Sharma Pokharel
- Shayana Kadidal
- Leah Todd
Client(s)
Case Description
Bronner v. Duggan is a case filed by four American Studies Association (ASA) members against the ASA and ten individuals following the organization's passage of a resolution to endorse and honor the call of Palestinian civil society for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. This case is part of the Center for Constitutional Rights' efforts to support activists, academics, and organizations facing legal attacks for their advocacy on behalf of Palestinian rights.
In December 2013, the ASA held a membership vote on the resolution in which participation was the highest in the organization's history, and 66% of members voted to endorse the resolution. The boycott is part of the global campaign for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, in response to violations of international law and the denial of Palestinian rights. Several other academic associations have also voted to join the academic boycott.
In April 2016, four ASA members filed a suit, claiming that the vote violated the ASA's by-laws and the ASA officers breached their fiduciary duties. In March 2018, plaintiffs amended their complaint to add several new defendants, including Dr. Steven Salaita, who did not join the ASA board until two years after the vote. The Center for Constitutional Rights is representing Professor Salaita, whom we previously represented in his case challenging his firing by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for tweets criticizing Israel's 2014 assault on Gaza, in this case.