Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs speaks with Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger inside her offices at the State Capitol Building on Jan. 8, 2025. Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters Connect

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Tuesday sent a letter to the state legislature’s Speaker of the House Steve Montenegro to explain her decision to veto House Bill 2867, legislation which would have empowered parents to file lawsuits against their children’s K-12 public school teachers over allegations of presenting antisemitic ideas in class.

Hobbs, a Democrat, acknowledged that “antisemitism is a scourge on our society and a deeply troubling issue in our country,” adding that she continued to “proudly stand with Arizona’s Jewish community against acts of hate, violence, and harassment, and remain[s] committed to fighting antisemitism in all its forms.”

After noting her administration’s efforts to counter hate through expanding Holocaust education, Hobbs stated that “unfortunately, this bill is not about antisemitism; it’s about attacking our teachers. It puts an unacceptable level of personal liability in place for our public school, community college, and university educators and staff, opening them up to threats of personally costly lawsuits. Additionally, it sets a dangerous precedent that unfairly targets public school teachers while shielding private school staff.”

The governor cited organizations which had opposed the bill, including the National Council of Jewish Women Arizona, the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, and the Rabbi Joseph H. Gumbiner Community Action Project. A letter from the groups co-signed by others urged Hobbs “to veto HB 2867. This bill weaponizes legitimate concerns about antisemitism to attack public education. If signed into law, it will push well-meaning educators out of the classroom while doing nothing to protect Jewish students.”

Hobbs wrote that “I believe this bill would undermine public education at all levels. Students and parents already have avenues through the State Board of Education to report allegations of unprofessional conduct, including antisemitism and all other forms of hate they may encounter in the classroom. I am confident that by using those tools, we can fulfill our moral and legal responsibility to eradicate hate and discrimination in our public school system.”

The bill had passed the Arizona House with a vote count of 33-20 which included some Democrats crossing the aisle.

“HB 2867 aims to ensure that pernicious form of hatred, antisemitism, and its often-violent outcomes, have no place being actively taught in our classrooms or in publicly funded institutions of higher learning,” the legislation’s sponsor, Rep. Michael Way, wrote in a letter to Hobbs. “It is not true that there are no instances of teachers in Arizona schools teaching antisemitism.”

Way responded to the veto on X.

“In her most disgraceful veto yet, Governor Hobbs struck down a bipartisan bill to stop antisemitism in Arizona schools,” Way wrote. “I am deeply disappointed by her decision — paying lip service to opposing antisemitism while backing away from a law with real teeth.”

Way wrote that rather than “standing with Jewish students and faculty,” Hobbs chose to side with “those who promote hate and hostility on campus. This bill was aimed at prohibiting the teaching of egregious and blatant antisemitic content. To suggest that it threatened the speech of most Arizona teachers is disingenuous at best. House Republicans acted to confront antisemitism — Hobbs’ veto protects it. I will continue to stand with the Jewish community in Arizona and in my district to ensure taxpayer dollars are never used to fund violent political indoctrination.”

Darrell Hill, policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, wrote that the bill would “chill speech on Israel and Jewish culture generally because teachers, administrators, and speakers will fear the possibility of lawsuits if a classroom discussion veers off course or a student expresses opinions that some may consider improper criticism of Israel.” He warned that “to limit liability and protect themselves, teachers will broadly avoid speaking about Israel and any discussion of current or past conflicts involving Israel.’”

On May 8, Hobbs signed HB 2880, a measure sponsored by Rep. Alma Hernandez of Tucson, who is Jewish. The law criminalized “establishing or occupying an encampment on a university or community college campus” with the intent of countering pro-Hamas campus protests.

Hernandez wrote on X following the bill’s adoption that “I am proud that AZ became the 1st state to take action to prevent this situation from unfolding here.”

She told The Algemeiner at the time that “I am especially proud that this was accomplished in a bipartisan manner. I want to thank Governor Hobbs and my colleagues from both parties who helped make this legislation a reality. HB 2880 is now the law of the land in Arizona, and I’m honored to have played a part in making it happen.”