Category: Free Association

SUPREME COURT OPINION ALERT: Public-Sector Unions May No Longer Force Nonmembers to Pay “Fair Share” Fees

Today, the Supreme Court decided a case called Janus, which involves whether public-sector unions (for employees such as teachers, police, firefighters, etc.) can require non-union employees to pay so-called “fair-share” fees to the union when the employees disagree with the political messages the union advocates.  (We previewed the case here.)  In a 5-4 decision, and in… Read More SUPREME COURT OPINION ALERT: Public-Sector Unions May No Longer Force Nonmembers to Pay “Fair Share” Fees

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Prisons Allowed to Permanently Deny Inmates Visits with Family

In 1998, Clarence Easterling, a Wisconsin man, was put on probation after being convicted of sexually assaulting a minor female.  Then, three years later, his daughter was born shortly before he was sentenced to 25 years for armed robbery.  Easterling has tried both in 2004 and 2013 to get his daughter to visit him, but… Read More Prisons Allowed to Permanently Deny Inmates Visits with Family

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Court Upholds Federal Limit on Per-Election Campaign Contributions

Laura Holmes and Paul Jost—a married couple who appear to have done political fundraising in the past—challenged a federal law’s per-election ceilings on First Amendment grounds.  That law limits the amount that an individual can contribute to a candidate for a federal office (such as a presidential candidate).  The per-individual limit is $2600.  That same federal… Read More Court Upholds Federal Limit on Per-Election Campaign Contributions

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Unconstitutional for Washington to Require Political Parties to Elect Legislative District Chairs

In King County, Washington, the Republican Central Committee had a longstanding practice of appointing (rather than electing) its chairs in each legislative district. Andrew Pilloud, a former Republican candidate for state representative in Seattle, challenged the constitutionality of that practicing.  He argued that state law requires the district chairs for political parties to be elected, not… Read More Unconstitutional for Washington to Require Political Parties to Elect Legislative District Chairs

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Feds May Obtain Anonymous Website Reviewer Personal Info

Glassdoor.com is a website operating with the goal of ensuring transparency between employers and employees.  There, employees of various companies can anonymously share information about their employer including interviewing practices, salaries, and the overall employer environment. Before posting any employer reviews, employees are asked for their email address and told that their information will be… Read More Feds May Obtain Anonymous Website Reviewer Personal Info

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Baltimore DA Allowed to Fire Assistant DA for Supporting Political Opponent

Keri Borzilleri was an Assistant State’s Attorney in Baltimore when elections were held for the office of State’s Attorney (her superior’s office) in 2014.  In the Democratic primaries of that election, Borzilleri publicly supported incumbent Gregg Bernstein over his challenger Marilyn Mosby who won the primaries and, in November, the general election.  A day after… Read More Baltimore DA Allowed to Fire Assistant DA for Supporting Political Opponent

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South Dakota Official Excluded from Town Board Meetings

Mary Lee is the elected Clerk for Mathews Township–a small, rural town in South Dakota. She also owns land through which a creek runs before running underneath a nearby street via culverts. The creek flooded in 2011, requiring the town to replace the culverts. Mary and her husband wanted the culverts to be bigger–presumably to accommodate… Read More South Dakota Official Excluded from Town Board Meetings

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Illinois’s Full-Slate Requirement for Elections Held Unconstitutional

This is the second recent case to deal with a First Amendment challenge from the 2012 election. This one involved the Libertarian Party of Illinois. Illinois law has what’s called a “full-slate” requirement for non-major (minor) political parties that wish to field candidates on election ballots. It requires them to field candidates for all offices… Read More Illinois’s Full-Slate Requirement for Elections Held Unconstitutional

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