LJC In The News
California Workers Have Constitutional Rights – Even If Unions Think They Don’t Matter
(The Hill)—Years ago, when Mike Jackson and Tory Smith started working in the Parking Department at the University of California, San Diego, they assumed they were required to join the public employees’ union. Not that it made much difference whether they joined or not. At the time, 22 states, including...
Maryland State Employees File Lawsuit Against AFSCME to Recoup Union Fees that Supreme Court Found Illegal
(Baltimore Sun)—A group of Maryland state employees has filed a federal lawsuit against their labor union to recoup union fees the U.S. Supreme Court found to be illegal in a ruling last year. In a class-action lawsuit filed Wednesday in Baltimore against the American Federation of State, County and Municipal...
Aided by Conservative Legal Groups, State Workers Sue to Recoup Union Dues
(Maryland Matters)—A group of state government workers on Wednesday sued a public employee union, saying the union improperly collected dues from them even though they never became members. The class-action suit was filed in federal court in Baltimore against the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3,...
Maryland State Workers Sue Union, Alleging It Defied Janus Ruling and Coerced Dues
(Washington Examiner)—A group of 19 Maryland state employees have filed a class action suit against their union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3, seeking $7 million in dues they claim was illegally taken from them. The suit argues the union is acting in defiance of the...
Conservative Group Challenging Montana Campaign Order
(AP News)—A conservative advocacy group is challenging Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s executive order that requires organizations that receive large state contracts to report political contributions that exceed $2,500, even if those disclosures aren’t required under federal election laws. The challenge was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court by the Illinois...
Group Files Challenge to Bullock’s Executive Order on ‘Dark Money’ and State Contracts
(Helena Independent Record)—One of the hallmark messages of Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination is the subject of a lawsuit filed by a conservative advocacy group this week in U.S. federal court in Helena. In June 2018, Bullock signed an executive order saying that to receive...
Free Market Group Sues Bullock Over ‘Dark Money’ Rule
(Montana Public Radio)—An Illinois advocacy group is suing Montana Gov. Steve Bullock over one of his trademark campaign finance policies targeting so-called ‘dark money’ in politics. The lawsuit announced Wednesday asks a federal judge to strike down Montana’s nearly year-old policy that requires certain businesses seeking contracts with the state...
Democrat Governor Excludes Conservative News Service From Media List
(The Daily Signal)—When two reporters showed up at the Wisconsin governor’s office in February for a press briefing on the new administration’s proposed budget, staffers turned them away. Although the governor’s office didn’t formally invite the reporters, they were credentialed through the Wisconsin Legislature to cover government activities. They also...
Wisconsin Governor Sued for Barring Conservative Journalists from Briefing
(Fox News)—A conservative think tank in Wisconsin is suing the state’s governor, Tony Evers, amid allegations that his administration has denied journalists working for the group’s new service access to a budget press briefing and refused to add its reporters to the governor’s press list. The Maclver Institute, a right-leaning...
Conservative Think Tank Sues Wisconsin’s Evers Over Access
(AP News)—A conservative think tank has filed a federal lawsuit against Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, alleging he violated the First Amendment rights of staff members who were denied access to a press briefing and kept off an advisory list sent to other reporters. The MacIver Institute for Public Policy...
Conservative Group Sues Tony Evers in Federal Court Over Media Access
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)—A conservative group alleges Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has violated its writers’ rights to free speech and equal access by not notifying them about the governor’s public appearances or inviting them to media events. The Madison-based John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, which has a news service...
Conservative MacIver Institute Files Federal Lawsuit Against Tony Evers Over Press Access
(The Cap Times)—The conservative Maclver Institute has filed a lawsuit against Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, alleging his office has excluded the outlet from media events. The suit, filed in federal court Tuesday, argues the actions are a violation of their reporters’ First Amendment rights guaranteeing press freedom and free speech,...
Still Paying Coerced Labor Dues, Even After Janus
(The Wall Street Journal)—A year after Janus, Ms. O’Callaghan isn’t the only public employee finding it difficult to cut ties with a union. Dozens of workers have crashed into obstacles set by unions and their allies in state government. Many are turning to lawsuits. Ms. O’Callaghan enlisted the help of...
Lincolnshire May Have to Fight for “Right-to-Work” Ordinance
(The Chicago Tribune)—Officials in Lincolnshire are aware of the possibility that a new union ordinance could soon face a legal challenge, and both sides are gearing up for a fight. The Illinois chapter of the AFL-CIO — one of the largest union organizations in the nation — is considering a...
City Sued for Banning Ads in Ride-Share Vehicles
(The Chicago Tribune)—A Minneapolis technology company has sued the city of Chicago for banning advertising inside the private cars used by Uber, Lyft and other ride-share company drivers. Vugo, founded in 2015 and looking to expand its digital advertising business to ride-sharing vehicles here, filed a federal lawsuit Thursday in...