The Start of a “Janus Ripple Effect”?

June 18, 2019

About a year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees that public employees should not have to join and pay dues to a union, since unions used those funds for advocate for political issues that a public employee might not agree with. Now, we’re starting to see a “Janus ripple effect,” with the impact of that ruling starting to be seen in other cases.

Take, for example, the case of North Dakota attorney Arnold Fleck: Fleck was forced to join his state’s bar association and pay dues that were used to support a ballot initiative he opposed. As with Illinois state employee Mark Janus’ case, Fleck’s story is an example of someone being forced to support speech against their will. The courts—and all Americans—shouldn’t accept that.

Last week, Goldwater Institute Vice President for Litigation Timothy Sandefur was in Minnesota arguing Fleck’s case before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, defending attorneys’ right to speak freely—or not speak, if they so choose. Sandefur explains the latest in this landmark free-speech case in the video above. You can also read more from Sandefur about Fleck’s case in a recent In Defense of Liberty blog post. 

When we’re forced to support causes with which we disagree, our free-speech rights are undermined. All Americans should enjoy the freedom of speech, and that’s why the Goldwater Institute is fighting for the First Amendment rights of Americans like Arnold Fleck in court.