In a landmark decision, Judge David B. Atkins of the Circuit Court of Cook County has ruled in favor of the Liberty Justice Center in Weiss v. Chicago Teachers Union—denying CTU’s motion to dismiss the case and marking a significant milestone for union members seeking greater financial transparency and accountability from their leadership.
The lawsuit, brought by CTU members and represented by the Liberty Justice Center, challenges the union’s failure to provide its members with legally mandated audit reports for the last five years. The plaintiffs argue that, as union members, CTU’s Constitution entitles them to clear, accessible information about how their dues are spent.
Prior to filing suit, the Liberty Justice Center sent a letter to CTU leadership, offering them the opportunity to avoid litigation. Instead, the union engaged in intimidation tactics to suppress dissent and distract from the core issue: CTU’s own failure to provide financial transparency to its members as required by their own bylaws.
This decision observed that “CTU does not even directly dispute” that it has “failed to [furnish audit reports] since 2020,” and rejected CTU leadership’s arguments that this provision was somehow “outdated” or that the case could not be brought because members have access to a so-called “summary” of an audit report. Judge Atkins also denied CTU’s separate motion to “strike” portions of Plaintiffs’ allegations, noting that CTU itself had extraneously accused its members of having “dubious motives” for seeking the audits.
“This ruling lets us move forward to get the facts. CTU members have a right to know how their dues are spent—this case is about enforcing that right, nothing more,” said Dean McGee, Senior Counsel and Educational Freedom Attorney at the Liberty Justice Center. “The union’s own constitution entitles members to fiscal transparency, and we’re here to help members secure it.”
Legal filings in Weiss v. Chicago Teachers Union are available here.