May 10, 2016
CIR has filed an amicus brief in support of Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino and his ongoing effort to fend off an overreaching federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD is attempting to silence Astorino’s opposition to its agenda of dismantling local zoning ordinances in Westchester County, a northern suburb of New York
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April 08, 2016
CIR filed a petition for rehearing today asking the Supreme Court to re-hear Friedrichs v. CTA when a new, ninth Justice is confirmed. This would allow the question of whether compulsory union fees violate the First Amendment to be heard and decided by the full Court of nine Justices.
Last month,
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April 01, 2016
The Chicago teacher strike illustrates the need for the Supreme Court to grant a rehearing in Friedrichs v. CTA. Many Chicago teachers are worried about just how the strike will affect their students, but their union has made it clear dissenters will not be tolerated. This highlights the central issue of
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March 29, 2016
Today the Supreme Court issued a tied decision in Friedrichs v. California Teacher’s Association. The 4-4 decision leaves the laws in place in 25 states and the District of Columbia that allows unions to compel non-members to pay “agency fees” to support the union’s collective bargaining work.
Since the death of
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March 21, 2016
The Supreme Court tossed a Massachusetts court ruling that upheld a state ban on owning or possessing a stun gun. Today’s ruling directs the Supreme Court of Massachusetts to reconsider Jaime Caetano’s conviction for possessing a stun gun in violation of a Massachusetts laws in light of the Supreme Court’s
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March 15, 2016
In a significant victory for CIR client “Zujua” — an anonymous Wikepedia editor who was sued for defamation for making edits to a Wikipedia entry — the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reversed trial judge Maurice Ross’s earlier ruling denying Zujua attorney’s fees.
Judge Ross had ruled that
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March 11, 2016
Since the beginning of Rebecca Friedrichs’ lawsuit, unions have insisted that agency fees do not violate First Amendment rights because collective bargaining is not political.
However, at the Seventh Democratic Debate in Flint, Michigan, moderator Anderson Cooper directly asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton if she thought Teacher’s Unions protected bad
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February 17, 2016
The Center for Individual Rights plans to ensure the full Supreme Court – including a newly confirmed Justice – can render an authoritative decision in Friedrichs v. CTA.
The recent, untimely death of Justice Scalia has raised numerous questions how the Court will proceed with cases where Justice Scalia participated in
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Read More → Posted in Case UpdatesOn January 11, while oral argument for Friedrichs v. CTA took place inside the Supreme Court, Rebecca’s supporters gathered on the steps to show solidarity and help explain why they think a strong First Amendment is at the heart of a strong education system.
Those present included education reform experts, teachers,
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