Alabama boycott violates an old Superior Court judgment
DIARIO Aruba
12/29/2005

ORANJESTAD (AAN): Information received from the US indicates that the boycott against Aruba that the Alabama Governor anounced, apparently violates a Superior Court decision which was rendered in the US in 1999.

The US Superior Court explained in a case in 1999 that the Federal Government is the one that represents the collective interest of the 48 American states, and is entrusted with the complete and exclusive responsibility for dealing with foreign countries. The system of government in the US is that the interests of cities, counties and states, imperatively requires that federal power which affects foreign relations, has to be free from local interference.

Therefore, the decision of March 1, 1999 demonstrates that every state has to let this decision up to the Federal Government. Observers said that the Alabama boycott, specifically, violates this Superior Court decision.

The case was National Foreign Trade Council vs. The Government of Massachusetts, who has problems with the country of Myanmar.