Kansas teacher challenges anti-boycott certification requirement
Kansas public school teacher Esther Koontz challenged a state law that required certain government contractors to certify they were not participating in boycotts of Israel as a condition of receiving state contracts. Koontz argued the requirement violated her First Amendment rights by conditioning government employment and contracting opportunities on political expression and association. A federal court issued an injunction against enforcement of the law as applied in the case, and Kansas later revised portions of the statute.
Kansas public school teacher Esther Koontz challenged a state law that required certain government contractors to certify they were not participating in boycotts of Israel as a condition of receiving state contracts. Koontz argued the requirement violated her First Amendment rights by conditioning government employment and contracting opportunities on political expression and association. A federal court issued an injunction against enforcement of the law as applied in the case, and Kansas later revised portions of the statute. Supporters of the law argued it was a legitimate exercise of state contracting authority to prevent public funds from supporting boycott activities. Critics, including civil liberties organizations, maintained that the certification requirement constituted an unconstitutional condition on government employment that penalized protected political expression and association.