Boston.com: Jewish groups sue Medford over values-based investment ordinance
- Feb 9
- 1 min read
Updated: Feb 26
Plaintiffs say the city’s policy unlawfully mandates divestment based on ideology.
Two Jewish advocacy organizations have filed a federal lawsuit challenging Medford’s recent values-based investment ordinance, arguing the policy illegally forces the city to divest public funds for political and ideological reasons.
The Gevura Fund and the National Jewish Advocacy Center, along with the law firm Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey, P.C., filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts last week, seeking to block enforcement of the ordinance.
The ordinance restricts the city from investing taxpayer funds in companies tied to categories such as fossil fuels, defense contracting, or alleged human rights violations, and applies to general city funds, including pension-related assets. Medford became the first municipality in Massachusetts to adopt such a policy when the city council approved the measure last year. Only two other U.S. municipalities — Dearborn, Michigan, and Portland, Maine — have enacted similar ordinances.
Comments