LJC In The News
(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...
(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...
(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...
(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...
(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...
(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...
(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...
(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...
(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...
(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...
(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...
(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...
(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...
(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...
(State Journal-Register)—A new federal lawsuit has been filed saying that child care providers and home caregivers are having their First Amendment rights violated by being forced into a labor union. The lawsuit, filed by the Liberty Justice Center and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, is seeking to...