"While a federal judge has ruled that the law is unconstitutional, local law makers have filed an appeal... The Massachusetts Burma Law prohibits state agencies and authorities from contracting companies doing business in Burma unless their bids are at least ten percent cheaper than the closest comparable bid. The law, passed in 1996, was modeled on previous laws used in the successful campaign against the Aphartheid government in South Africa. But recently, the law has been challenged by a US federal court ruling, which has declared the Massachusetts Burma Law unconstitutional because it infringes on the right of the federal government to conduct foreign policy..."