Det har vist ikke været fremme, at Højesteret i går fældede en skelsættende dom. Den forbyder fagforeninger for offentligt ansatte at tvangsopkræve kontingent fra kolleger, der ikke vil være medlemmer. Sådan har det ellers været i 41 år, og fagforeningerne har indkasseret milliarder – som de blandt andet har brugt på at støtte deres allierede blandt demokraterne.

The U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Janus v. AFSCME on Wednesday, ruling 5-4 that public sector unions could no longer compel non-members to pay dues because it violated their First Amendment rights.

The decision is a major victory for free speech and for workers’ rights — and a major setback for public sector unions, who have emerged in recent decades as a powerful left-wing political force.

Mark Janus, the Illinois state employee who challenged compulsory dues, had been required to pay about $535 per year, even though he opposed his union’s positions on many issues in its collective bargaining.

Det er intet under, at demokraternes humør nærmer sig fortvivlelse.

Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the Court’s conservative majority, wrote (original emphasis):

Compelling individuals to mouth support for views they find objectionable violates that cardinal constitutional command, and in most contexts, any such effort would be universally condemned.

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Compelling a person to subsidize the speech of other private speakers raises similar First Amendment con­cerns.

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Supreme Court Ends Compulsory Public Sector Union Dues, 5-4