On April 18, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California will hear oral arguments on the motion for preliminary injunction filed by the Liberty Justice Center in their legal challenge in California Policy Center v. Garcia-Brower. The Liberty Justice Center and California Justice Center are seeking to enjoin a California law that violates employers’ First Amendment rights by prohibiting companies from discussing any “religious or political matters” at mandatory meetings.
In Friday’s hearing, Liberty Justice Center Senior Counsel Jeffrey Schwab will urge the Court to enjoin the state of California from enforcing SB 399 while the lawsuit is pending, protecting employers from being subjected to penalties under the law.
WHO:
Jeffrey Schwab, Senior Counsel at the Liberty Justice Center
Julie Hamill, President of the California Justice Center
WHEN:
1:30 PST, Friday, April 18, 2025
WHERE:
Honorable Michelle Williams Court
First Street Courthouse
350 W. 1st Street
Courtroom 6A, 6th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90012
HOW: The courtroom will be open to the public on a first come, first serve basis. For questions about media access, contact the Court’s Communication Specialist at (213) 894-7987. The media are also directed to check the Court’s electronic record at www.cacd.uscourts.gov, Newsworthy, as well as the docket sheet on PACER for current information.
ISSUE BACKGROUND: On September 27, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 399 (SB 399) into law. Although labeled the “California Worker Freedom from Employer Intimidation Act,” SB 399 does not actually address intimidation—rather, it bans California employers from communicating with their employees about political or religious matters during any mandatory meetings, such as all-staff calls.
SB 399 restricts speech based on its content, declaring that Californian employers may discuss almost any topic in mandatory employee meetings—except politics and religion. The Supreme Court has ruled that such content-based restrictions on free speech presumptively violate the First Amendment.
Therefore, on February 11, the Liberty Justice Center partnered with the California Justice Center to challenge SB 399 on behalf of the California Policy Center (CPC), a nonprofit that conducts research on public policy matters across the state, including education reform and government transparency. Because the organization’s central work entails researching state politics and communicating its findings to California residents, CPC regularly holds all-staff meetings to discuss political matters. However, SB 399 now makes such meetings illegal.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California scheduled a hearing to hear oral arguments and consider the parties’ motions for preliminary injunction on April 18.
The Liberty Justice Center’s legal filings in California Policy Center v. Garcia-Brower are available here.