LJC In The News
Illinois Constitutional Amendment Faces First Legal Challenge Friday
(WMBD-TV) — The June primaries may be about a month away, but come November, Illinois voters will have the chance to vote on a constitutional amendment. This amendment faces the first legal challenge on Friday. “The goal of this lawsuit is to keep this unconstitutional measure off the ballot,” said...
Illinois Amendment 1 Faces First Legal Challenge Friday
(WMBD News)—Jacob Huebert, President of the Liberty Justice Center, spoke with WMBD News about Sachen v. Illinois State Board of Elections, the lawsuit challenging Illinois’ unconstitutional ballot amendment.
...Bennett Liebman: New Fifth Circuit Ruling ‘Uphill Fight’ for HISA
(Thoroughbred Daily News)—With just over a month before the racetrack safety component of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is set to go into effect, two separate lawsuits cast looming shadows over the program’s legal and operational future. One of the suits challenging HISA’s constitutionality was filed by the...
Court Clears Path for Long-blocked Tennessee School Vouchers
(The Washington Post)—Tennessee’s highest court ruled Wednesday that Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s school voucher program does not violate the state’s constitution, clearing the path for families to soon use taxpayer dollars on private schools. The Tennessee Supreme Court’s 3-2 decision overturns several lower court rulings that had previously determined the...
Appeals Panel Says States Can Make Lawyers Join the Bar Based on ‘Undermined’ Law, but SCOTUS Might Say ‘No’
(Cook County Record)—A Chicago federal court has ruled it is constitutional for states to make lawyers belong to the state bar association, despite a Milwaukee area lawyer’s contention his dues support political causes he does not back. The appeals court said membership helps uphold standards in the legal profession. However,...
Free Speech in the Age of Covid
Before Voters Can Weigh in on November Ballot, ‘Workers Rights Amendment’ Must Survive New Legal Challenge
(NPR Illinois)—Before closing out its truncated spring legislative session earlier this month, the General Assembly approved language that will be put to voters in November, asking whether Illinois should amend its constitution to add a so-called “Workers’ Rights Amendment” to guarantee the right to collectively bargain in a state with...
Teachers, Parents Sue to Block Proposed Labor Amendment to Illinois Constitution
(The Center Square) – Parents and teachers from Chicago Public Schools have filed a petition in an effort to block a proposed constitutional amendment they believe contradicts federal law governing labor relations. The Illinois Right to Collective Bargaining Amendment, also known as Amendment 1, was approved in Senate Joint Constitutional...
Lawsuit: Pro-Union IL Constitutional Amendment Would Clash With Federal Law, U.S. Constitution, Must Be Struck Down
(Cook County Record)—A group of Cook County residents have filed suit to challenge the efforts of labor unions and their Democratic allies in Springfield to rewrite the Illinois state constitution to create an unfettered “right to collectively bargain,” a revision critics say would give labor unions the power to use...
Illinois Residents Sue to Block Vote on Labor Rights Amendment
(Courthouse News Service) — A group of Cook County residents filed suit against the Illinois State Board of Elections on Thursday, seeking to keep a proposed labor rights amendment to the state constitution off the November general election ballot. The four plaintiffs claim the proposed change, known as the Illinois...
Lubbock Horse Racing Lawsuit Dismissed, Attorneys Will Appeal
(KCBD) – A lawsuit out of Lubbock, claiming Congress “handed over” power to a private group in the interest of federally regulating horse racing, has been officially been dismissed. Federal Judge Wesley Hendrix dismissed the lawsuit on Tuesday, April 19, stating those tasked with defending the federal horseracing authority did...
Lawsuit Challenges Alaska Campaign Disclosure Rules
(Alaska Public Media)—Political donors have sued over campaign finance rules enacted under a 2020 voter initiative, arguing the disclosure rules are burdensome and could lead to reprisals against them and their business interests in a climate of “cancel culture.” The disclosure rules were part of a ballot measure that overhauled...
Alaska Lawsuit Challenges New Donor Disclosure Requirements
(KTUU NBC Anchorage)—A lawsuit has been filed in federal court against new donor disclosure requirements that come from Ballot Measure 2, an initiative that was narrowly approved by Alaska voters in 2020. The initiative implemented open primaries and ranked-choice voting in Alaska, which will be used for the first time...
Liberty Justice Center Accuses River Forest D90 of Not Following Open Meetings Law
(Cook County Record)—A west suburban school district has been accused of violating Illinois’ open meetings law in the past few years, allegedly failing at times to post required records from the meeting, and failing at times to notify the public that a meeting was being held, even as the district...
Judge Hears Arguments on HISA’s Constitutionality
(Blood-Horse)—Oral arguments took place Feb. 16 in a federal case filed by the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and several state affiliates seeking nullification of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. The HBPA organizations argue that the HISA, passed by Congress and signed into law in December 2020, violates...