Legal analyst Jonathan Turley says red states should form a NATO-like alliance and pass legislation barring state business or travel with any state that engages in boycotts.
“The key would be that the agreement must stand on principle, allow no exceptions, and trigger immediate reciprocity: A travel ban on, say, Nebraska would result in a reciprocal ban not just from Nebraska but from every state in the alliance,” he writes in The Hill.
“In this way, when a state like California targets a state like Utah, it will shoot itself with roughly half of the country. Eventually the administrative and competitive costs of such measures would become prohibitive.”
The Supreme Court’s decision in late June to overturn Roe v. Wade, abolishing the constitutional right to an abortion, has led to some states threatening boycotts of state contracts with businesses in states with anti-LGBTQ legislation or restrictive abortion laws.
Georgia politician and gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a Democrat, following the decision said companies should consider “the danger that [Gov.] Brian Kemp poses to the life and welfare of women in Georgia when doing business there.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, urged Hollywood production companies to stop filming in states with strict anti-abortion laws, including Georgia and Oklahoma.
His state already has restricted state-funded travel to 17 states with anti-LGBTQ legislation.
“For Democratic leaders like California Attorney General Rob Bonta, official boycotts on travel are simply a case of states acting like consumers and “aligning our dollars with our values,” writes Turley.
“However, it is more than that. It is speaking as a state to isolate and punish states with opposing views on abortion, transgender rights, gun rights and other policies. In a system based on federalism principles, we embraced the model of allowing each state to reach its own conclusions on divisive questions. The result can be consensus around moderate positions that escape both parties, which often are driven by the extremes on issues like abortion.”
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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