LJC In The News
No Government Worker Should Be Forced to Pay Union Fees
(National Review)—The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to announce this week whether it will hear a landmark labor case, Janus v. AFSCME. At the heart of the case is this question: Should government workers be forced to pay money to a union as a condition of their employment? Plaintiff Mark...
State Workers Should Be Free to Choose Who They Support
(State Journal-Register)—As a child support specialist at the Department of Health and Family Services, Mark Janus advocates for children who are caught in the crossfire of their parents’ divorce. Every day he goes to work, hoping to smooth a difficult process and give the kids he serves as bright a...
Unions Come Into the Justices’ Cross Hairs, Again
(New York Times)—Last year, the Supreme Court seemed poised to deal a sharp blow to public sector unions. Then Justice Antonin Scalia died and the court deadlocked, granting the unions a reprieve. It may not last long. Last week, a new case raising the same legal question arrived at the...
Will The Third Time Be The Charm For Challenge To Public-Sector Union Fees?
(SCOTUSblog)—It is settled law that public employees who do not belong to the union that represents them cannot be required to pay fees that the union would use for political activity like union organizing. But in 1977, the Supreme Court ruled that public employees who do not belong to a...
New High Court Challenge to Labor Unions Follows 4-4 Split
(Associated Press)—Conservative groups are wasting little time in trying to deal a crippling blow to labor unions now that Justice Neil Gorsuch has joined the Supreme Court. A First Amendment clash over public sector unions left the justices deadlocked last year after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. But union...
Justices Will Decide Whether to Take a Critical Case to Public-Sector Unions’ Future
(Washington Examiner)—With Trump tweets, British elections, and new terrorist attacks filling most of the cable news minutes and hours this week, it could easily go unnoticed that a child support specialist named Mark Janus has formally filed the request that his case, Janus v. AFSCME, be heard by the Supreme...
Judge: Cannabis Companies Can Make Campaign Contributions
(Associated Press)—Illinois’ medical marijuana companies, operating in an industry abounding with rules, now have one less regulation they have to follow. The Chicago Tribune reports that a federal judge ruled last week that a provision preventing cannabis companies from making campaign contributions in Illinois wasn’t constitutional. The ruling was in...
First Amendment Victory Over Ban on Political Contributions from Medical Marijuana Businesses in Illinois
(Reason)—The state of Illinois enacted in 2013 a pretty blatantly unconstitutional law forbidding businesses engaged in (legal) medical marijuana sales or growing from contributing to political campaigns, in effect either directly or via a PAC (though only the latter was literally codified). But since candidates were also barred from accepting...
Right-to-Work Court Case Could Have National Impact on Unions
(Fox News)—A landmark right-to-work lawsuit playing out in Illinois has captured widespread attention amid expectations the case could land before the Supreme Court – and potentially have national implications for an estimated 20 million government workers. The president of the Liberty Justice Center, who’s representing the three plaintiffs in the...
Chicago Made Their Business Illegal, Now Vugo is Fighting Back
(Illinois Policy Institute)—Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel brands his city as “the digital mecca of the Midwest.” But what happens when politicians tilt the playing field toward entrenched interests? Enter Vugo, a promising Midwest tech startup now suing the city for banning its business. Starting up James Bellefeuille used to moonlight...
Chicago Sued for Prohibiting Ads in Uber, Lyft Cars
(CBS)—The City of Chicago is being sued for prohibiting advertising in ridesharing vehicles, such as those from Uber or Lyft. WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of Vugo, a company that wants to put targeted video ads in ridesharing cars. Jeffrey Schwab, staff attorney...
Lawsuit Blasts New Airbnb Regulations
(Fox News)—A lawsuit has been filed to stop a new ordinance that would put stricter regulations on people who share their homes through sites like Airbnb. The ordinance is set to take effect in just a few weeks, but this lawsuit is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop that. The...
Tuesday’s Election Will Set Unhappy Union Workers Free
(Wall Street Journal)—One of the most intriguing political shifts Tuesday was Donald Trump’s relative popularity with union members. Exit polls show that Hillary Clinton did not win union households in nearly the numbers that President Obama did in 2012. Although major unions like the AFL-CIO supported Mrs. Clinton, millions in...
Liberty Justice Center Backs Illinois Citizens in State Auditor General Fight
(Madison St. Clair Record)—An Illinois citizen who is taking action against the state’s auditor general in what he alleges is a violation of campaign disclosure laws has gained support from the Liberty Justice Center. The group is providing representation for David Cooke of Streator in a fight against Auditor General...
Same-Day Voter Registration at Issue in Illinois Lawsuit
(San Diego Union Tribune)—A federal lawsuit has raised questions about whether Illinois’ new Election Day voter registration rules are constitutional, a situation that could complicate how polling sites are run this November. Illinois tested same-day registration in the 2014 governor’s race, with all election authorities required to offer it in...