Statement from PRI Senior Director of Education Studies Lance Izumi on Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association

January 11, 2015 – The Pacific Research Institute issued the following statement by Senior Education Studies Director Lance Izumi on today’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument on Friedrichs v. the California Teachers Association: “The admission by the attorney for the State of California that the collective bargaining contract negotiated by the teachers’ union is inherently a political document supports the contention of Rebecca Friedrichs and her co-plaintiffs that they are being forced to pay for the political speech of the teachers’ union, which violates their First Amendment rights of free speech and association. This admission also counters the union’s defense that the contract is an objective non-political document. The U.S. Supreme Court should overrule its earlier decision and protect the constitutional rights of all public school teachers.”

In September 2015, PRI along with former California Governor Pete Wilson filed an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule Abood and hold that agency shop arrangements violate public school teachers’ First Amendment speech, association, and petition rights. The brief is available at www.pacificresearch.org

Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.

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