Frequently Searched

Week in Review: Supreme Victory

December 8, 2018

December 8, 2018

The Goldwater Institute won a major victory for the First Amendment this week as the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a lower court ruling that allowed states to force lawyers to subsidize state bar associations.

The justices ordered the lower court to reconsider its holding in Fleck v. Wetch in light of the Janus case, which held that government must get consent from workers before it compels them to subsidize trade associations such as labor unions. Read more about the victory here.

Leveling the Campaign-Contribution Field

Can the government pass laws that effectively silence groups on one side of a political debate but not the other? 

You might think not. After all, under the Constitution, the government is supposed to treat everyone equally — especially when it comes to our participation in politics. 

Unfortunately, under the guise of “campaign-finance reform,” some states have enacted laws that muzzle some groups but not others.

Read more from Goldwater Senior Attorney Jacob Huebert inNational Review Online.

Stopping the Clock on Taxpayer-Funded Union Time inMichigan Schools

It’s a practice most people in Michigan have probably never heard of, but they’re paying for it all the same at the expense of their public schools. The policy is known as “release time,” and the state legislature is taking action to stop it.

Learn more from Goldwater Director of National Litigation Jonathan Riches.

 

 

More on this issue

Donate Now

Help all Americans live freer, happier lives. Join the Goldwater Institute as we defend and strengthen freedom in all 50 states.

Donate Now

Since 1988, the Goldwater Institute has been in the liberty business — defending and promoting freedom, and achieving more than 400 victories in all 50 states. Donate today to help support our mission.

We Protect Your Rights

Our attorneys defend individual rights and protect those who cannot protect themselves.

Need Help? Submit a case.

Get Connected to Goldwater

Sign up for the latest news, event updates, and more.

Wait! Don’t close this yet!

We are grateful for your support of the Goldwater Institute’s efforts to advance and defend liberty throughout the United States. For over 36 years, we’ve been defending the rights of Americans to live their lives free from government interference.

And Goldwater is unique in that we direct our efforts to the 50 states where we introduce and advance innovative ideas that expand freedom. And we fight in courtrooms and capitals nationwide to defend individual liberty.

In 2024 alone, we scored over 50 policy and litigation victories defending liberty!

And that’s just the beginning.

Our plans for 2025 include:

  • Stopping pernicious DEI and other woke programs in America’s universities.
  • Ensuring that patients suffering from rare and terminal diseases have access to cutting-edge, lifesaving medical treatments, without having to first seek permission from the government.
  • Defending parental rights across the United States so that parents can send their kids to the school that best fits their needs, free from leftist indoctrination.
  • Eliminating government interference in the fundamental right of individuals to own property and use it as they see fit.
  • And much, much more

We seek to restore the presumption of liberty; that people are free to act without first asking permission from the government.

But we cannot do this without you. Will you join us as we fight to preserve and advance liberty throughout the country? As we seek new and innovative ways to defend freedom in all 50 states?

And there’s great news: Thanks to a generous Goldwater supporter, your donation today will be doubled!

So please, join us in fighting to advance liberty and score real wins for freedom from coast to coast!