Boycott threatened over meeting site of Association of American Law Schools

From our friend Concerned About CUNY Law:

On Aug. 5th, the National Law Journal reported that Law professors are apparently threatening to boycott the upcoming January 2009 AALS convention in San Diego, California because the event is being held at a hotel whose owner is heavily financing California's initiative to outlaw same-sex marriage in that state. Since CUNY Law recently obtained AALS membership (See http://cunylaw.blogspot.com/search?q=aals+academic), will or have CUNY Law professors joined the proposed boycott? I hope some professors write in or comment on this topic and maybe provide more information including whether they intend to participate in the boycott or convention. The NLJ article excerpt is below.


Boycott threatened over meeting site of Association of American Law Schools
The National Law Journal. Leigh Jones / Associate editor. August 5, 2008

Organizations representing thousands of legal educators say they will boycott the Association of American Law Schools annual meeting in January if it is held at a San Diego hotel owned by a foe of same-sex marriage.

The four groups made up of law professors and legal writing professionals have sent letters to the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), calling for it to move the site chosen for the conference in January.

The groups object to holding the annual meeting at the San Diego Manchester Grand Hyatt, a hotel whose owner, Douglas Manchester, has donated $125,000 to an initiative to outlaw same-sex marriage in California.

The groups say that to attend the five-day event hosted primarily at the Manchester Grand Hyatt would conflict with their policies of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation.


Read the entire article here

AALS Convention