Hon. Ellen Corbett
California State Senate
State Capitol, Room 5108
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: Senate Bill 320
Dear Senator Corbett,
The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) wishes to join in sponsoring your bill addressing the threat of libel tourism.
ABFFE is the bookseller’s voice in the fight against censorship, and booksellers in California and elsewhere are deeply concerned by the danger to First Amendment freedom posed by the libel laws of foreign countries. Last year, we joined with 19 other organizations who are members of the Free Expression Network in endorsing federal legislation to address this problem. Our statement is available online, http://www.abffe.com/s2977.htm.
We believe that passage of S.B. 320 is essential to protect the right of American authors to investigate and reveal wrongdoing anywhere in the world and to ensure that weaker protections for free speech elsewhere do not undermine First Amendment freedoms at home.
Thank you for leading the effort in California to curb the threat of libel tourism.
Sincerely yours,
Chris Finan
President
cc: Hut Landon, Northern California Independent Booksellers Assn.
Jennifer Bigelow, Southern California Independent Booksellers Assn.