Standing Up for Attorneys’ Free-Speech Rights

The plaintiffs in this case are two Oregon attorneys who have been forced to pay mandatory dues, Daniel Crowe and Lawrence Peterson, and a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting Oregon attorneys’ First Amendment rights, Oregon Civil Liberties Attorneys. The defendants are the Oregon State Bar and Oregon State Bar officials acting in their official capacity.

The case was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon on December 13, 2018.

The plaintiffs seek an order ruling that the Oregon State Bar Association must stop spending mandatory bar dues on non-chargeable activities and institute constitutionally required safeguards to ensure that dues are not spent illegally in the future.

The plaintiffs also seek an order declaring mandatory bar associations unconstitutional, which would require the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its decision in Keller v. State Bar of California allowing such fees.