Associate Dean Amar Comments on Prop. 8 Boycotts for WSJ

Associate Dean Vikram Amar commented on boycotts undertaken by some opponents of Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban passed by California voters in November, for a recent story in the Wall Street Journal.  The passage of Prop. 8 has brought calls for boycotts of businesses owned by supporters who helped to bankroll the initiative.  Associate Dean Amar noted that individuals are legally free to boycott any business, so long as they are not representing a government institution, but must refrain from making false, defamatory statements about the object of the boycott or risk being sued for defamation.

Vikram Amar, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Law with the UC Davis School of Law, is a national authority in the fields of constitutional law, civil procedure, criminal procedure, and remedies. His biweekly column for FindLaw.com, the leading provider of online legal information, centers on his expertise in constitutional law.