A federal judge has delivered a decisive defeat to groups challenging California’s new antisemitism prevention law, dismissing their lawsuit with prejudice and effectively blocking them from bringing the same claims again.
U.S. District Judge Noël Wise in the Northern District of California on Tuesday tossed out the legal challenge brought by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, along with parents, teachers, students, and the group Los Angeles Educators for Palestine. The ruling hands a significant victory to supporters of AB 715, California’s landmark statute targeting antisemitism in public schools.
AB 715, which took effect January 1, established a state antisemitism prevention coordinator within California’s Office of Civil Rights and implemented new protocols for addressing discrimination in K-12 classrooms. The plaintiffs argued the law violated their First Amendment rights, but Judge Wise found those arguments unconvincing.
Second Rejection in Three Months
This marks the second time Judge Wise has ruled against the challengers. In December, she refused to issue a preliminary injunction that would have frozen the law while litigation proceeded. In that earlier decision, Wise determined the educators challenging the statute failed to demonstrate their classroom speech qualified for constitutional protection. She also highlighted what she characterized as an internal contradiction in their case: the plaintiffs simultaneously argued the law’s definition of antisemitism was too vague while objecting to its reference to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s widely recognized definition.
When the plaintiffs returned with their latest arguments, Wise found they were largely rehashing claims she had already dismissed. The challengers introduced a new equal protection argument, contending the law unconstitutionally singled out antisemitism by creating a dedicated coordinator while leaving other forms of discrimination to potential future legislation.
Judge Wise rejected that claim as well, pointing to SB 48, a companion law that establishes coordinators for other types of discrimination. The existence of that parallel legislation, Wise ruled, undermined the plaintiffs’ assertion that Jewish students were receiving preferential treatment.
Advocates Declare Victory
Supporters of the law celebrated the ruling as vindication of both its constitutionality and its equity. Carly Gammill, legal policy director for StandWithUs, said the decision confirms that teachers and students cannot override state curriculum decisions by invoking free speech protections. She argued the ruling clears the way for California to protect Jewish students without facing legal challenges alleging discrimination against other groups.
David Bocarsly, CEO of Jewish California, characterized the decision as proof the law stands on solid constitutional ground and operates fairly alongside protections legislators have extended to other communities. The Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area praised Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office for its defense of the statute and said the ruling creates a clear path for full implementation.
Teresa Drenick, regional director of the American Jewish Committee, emphasized that Judge Wise has now rejected the legal challenge twice, with detailed reasoning in both instances. She called on Governor Newsom’s administration to move forward with staffing the new civil rights office and appointing the antisemitism coordinator mandated by the law.
Legal Road Ahead
Because Judge Wise dismissed the case with prejudice, the plaintiffs are barred from refiling identical claims in federal court. This type of dismissal represents a final determination on the merits of the case, closing the door on repeated attempts to bring the same arguments.
Whether the challengers will pursue an appeal to a higher court remains uncertain. The decision comes at a time of heightened attention to antisemitism in educational settings, particularly following the October 7 attack on Israel and subsequent campus controversies nationwide.
California’s approach with AB 715 represents one of the most comprehensive state-level efforts to address antisemitism in public education. The law’s implementation machinery, including the coordinator position, is now expected to move forward without the legal uncertainty that has hung over it since its passage.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/arab-american-group-challenges-law-fighting-antisemitism-in-public-schools-judge-says-no