A US federal court suspended an Arizona law that prohibits the state from retaining contractors that boycott Israel. The judge, who issued the order, said the law violates the First Amendment which guarantees the freedom of expression. The decision on Thursday was the second time this year that a law against boycotts of Israel has been challenged by the courts. A similar decision regarding such a law was taken in Kansas earlier in 2018. The law was introduced in 2016 and stipulates that companies wishing to sign contracts with the local authority in Arizona should not participate in the boycott movement against Israel. The decision saw a win for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which filed a complaint against the State of Arizona in December on behalf of Mikkel Jordahl, a lawyer who represent prisoners in Coconino County Jail. Jordahl stated that "boycotts are an important way for people to collectively call for social change." The lawyer supports boycotts of Israeli companies as a protest over Israel’s policies against the Palestinians. He has stated religious and political motives for that decision. He explained that this law hurts his rights under the First Amendment. The court accepted this claim, and has blocked the law’s implementation. The ACLU, for its part, said in a statement that “political boycotts are a constitutionally protected form of non-violent protest”.