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Did the AALS Cave?

Larry Ribstein reports that the AALS has resolved the dispute over whether to boycott one of the hotels chosen for the upcoming annual meeting, quoting an AALS announcement:

In the last few weeks there have been suggestions that the Association should boycott the Hyatt because its owner has contributed money to a ballot initiative designed to overturn the California Supreme Court’s May decision in favor of same-sex marriage. In addressing this issue, the Executive Committee has sought to ensure that the Annual Meeting serves the needs of all participants to the maximum extent possible given our contractual obligations to the hotels.

Our contracts with the hotels provide that each hotel reserve a block of guest rooms, and leave to the AALS the choice of where to locate the AALS Registration, Exhibit Hall, Section Programs, Presidential Programs, and House of Representatives meetings. We will honor our contracts with both hotels, and we have exercised our option to hold all AALS events at the Marriott to ensure the maximum participation by our members.

Larry identifies the $64 question:

I don’t know whether the Marriott was chosen for convention activities before the boycott, or whether it would have been chosen but for the boycott.

If the answers to those questions are running no’s, then the AALS caved. My money’s on they caved. If you compare the meeting facilties at the two hotels, the Hyatt has 10,000 more square feet of meeting space and 3 ballrooms capable of handling up to 3,000 people (depending on configuration), while the Marriott‘s largest room can only handle 2,500. The Hyatt also has more guest rooms than the Marriott.

Update: Paul Caron links to multiple posts from around the law school blawgosphere.

Dave Hoffman translates the AALS email as:

we agree with you that merely contributing to the SSM amendment is beyond the pale, but we (sadly) can’t breach our contracts.

And let’s give the always indispensable Tom Smith the last word:

I am happy, however, to see the AALS is taking a principled stand on this issue, though I am sorry I am not clever enough to discern exactly what principle is being stood up for.