ADC Files Federal Suit Challenging California’s AB 715 for Chilling Classroom Speech

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2025
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Washington, D.C. | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (San Jose Division) on behalf of California public-school teachers and parents. As reported in the Associated Press, the case, Prichett et al. v. Newsom et al., names Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond in their official capacities and challenges Assembly Bill 715, which Governor Newsom signed on October 7, 2025. The law is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, or earlier as permitted by the statute.

The complaint explains that AB 715 never defines “antisemitism,” yet instructs districts to “follow” former President Biden’s U.S. National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism—and related materials—which in turn implies adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. Those standards repeatedly conflate criticism of the State of Israel and of Zionism with antisemitism—for example, by deeming it “antisemitic” to question Jewish people’s right to a majority state in a region inhabited by an equal number of Palestinians. By requiring “factually accurate” instruction while punishing teachers for accurate statements—for example, that 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled during Israel’s creation—the law places educators in an impossible position. By pointing schools to a shifting set of external guideposts that conflate discussions about Israel and Palestine with antisemitism, the statute leaves teachers guessing what they can safely say about Israel, Palestine, occupation, international law, or U.S. foreign policy. That, in turn, invites arbitrary enforcement and chills classroom speech. It also misleads educators and administrators by implying immediate compliance while remaining silent about what, exactly, must change in curriculum, pedagogy, or materials.

“Our children’s rights are not negotiable. Compromised politicians in California do not have the right or authority to muzzle our children and strip away their First Amendment rights,” said ADC National Executive Director, Abed Ayoub. “AB 715 does exactly that, it rips up the First Amendment and hands classrooms to a foreign agenda. By signing this bill into law, Gov. Newsom has made it clear—he has sided with foreign interests instead of students and parents. ADC stands with the parents, students, and teachers, and we will do our part to stop this bill immediately, protect every child, and restore free speech in California.”

ADC’s plaintiffs include teachers and families across the state who want accurate instruction and robust debate about modern Middle East history, including Palestinian perspectives. The suit alleges three constitutional defects. First, AB 715 is unconstitutionally vague under the Due Process Clause because it fails to define the key terms it purports to regulate while outsourcing enforcement to a 60-page federal policy paper. As a result, teachers cannot know what they may or may not say under the law and will self-censor to avoid professional repercussions. Second, while it fails to define key terms, it strongly suggests that criticism of Israel and Zionism constitutes antisemitic discrimination, rendering the law overbroad and viewpoint-discriminatory under the First Amendment, and violating the teacher plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights by singling out disfavored perspectives about Israel and Zionism for potential punishment. Third, it violates students’ First Amendment right to receive information in the classroom.

“AB 715’s intent and effect is classroom censorship. It—probably intentionally—does not define the conduct it targets, then points schools to federal guidance that blurs legitimate criticism of a foreign state with bigotry. That combination guarantees arbitrary punishment of educators, chills valuable classroom instruction and discussion, and deprives students of the vigorous debate the Constitution protects. We brought this case to keep classrooms free to teach the truth,” said Jenin Younes, ADC National Legal Director. 

The complaint details how the law’s undefined trigger, coupled with pressure for “corrective action,” makes ordinary, fact-based lessons risky. Teachers reasonably fear that a unit on settlement expansion, a discussion of the Nakba, or an assignment on contemporary human rights findings could be recast as discriminatory speech. Parents, likewise, fear their children will be shielded from key facts and viewpoints at the heart of civic education. The result is immediate confusion and a predictable chilling effect that undermines both teaching and learning.

ADC asks the court to declare AB 715 unconstitutional and to enjoin its enforcement against teachers and students. The filing emphasizes that California already prohibits discrimination based on religion, ethnicity, race, and national origin. If the Legislature intended only to restate existing protections, there was no need to add an undefined, speech-policing category. By inventing one and tethering it to external materials that conflate political critique with prejudice, AB 715 invites censorship instead of combating discrimination.