Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy

Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 and the Impact on Unions

Monday, February 26, 2018, By Ellen Mbuqe
Share
facultyMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public AffairsSupreme CourtUnions

Professor Thomas Keck, the Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics at the Maxwell School, offers insight on the Janus vs American Federation, State, Country and Municipal Employees case heard by the Supreme Court of the United States.

“Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 is likely to be the vehicle allowing Justice Samuel Alito to complete his longstanding effort to constitutionalize a key component of the Republican Party’s anti-union agenda,” says Keck.

“In 2011, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker pushed through a series of legislative changes making it markedly more difficult for public sector unions to collect dues and fees from the workers they represent. In a series of recent cases, Justice Alito has been trying to impose those same rules nationwide—even in states like New York that would prefer to allow more leeway for unions to collect such fees,” says Keck.

“The Court is closely divided on this question, and it likely would have sided with the unions if President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland had been confirmed. But with Trump’s appointee Neil Gorsuch now on the Court, Alito likely has five votes for a ruling that will drain millions of dollars in annual funding from the labor movement nationally,” says Keck.

Professor Keck teaches the classes Supreme Court in American politics and constitutional law and is the author of Judicial Politics in Polarized Times and The Most Activist Supreme Court in History. For all media inquiries please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, director of news and PR for Syracuse University, at ejmbuqe@syr.edu or 315.443.1897.

  • Author
  • Faculty Experts

Ellen Mbuqe

  • Thomas M. Keck

  • Recent
  • COVID-19 Update: Vaccination | Testing | Important Reminders | Zoom Sessions
    Friday, January 15, 2021, By News Staff
  • Important Update: Spring 2021 Pre-Arrival Testing Requirements (Students from New York State and contiguous states)
    Thursday, January 14, 2021, By News Staff
  • Important Update: Spring 2021 Pre-Arrival Testing and Quarantine Requirements (Students from all states non-contiguous to New York State and international locations)
    Thursday, January 14, 2021, By News Staff
  • Students and Families Invited to Participate in Zoom Sessions to Discuss Return to Campus Planning
    Thursday, January 14, 2021, By News Staff
  • The Role of Digital Forensics and Tracking Down US Capitol Riot Criminals
    Thursday, January 14, 2021, By Daryl Lovell

More In Media, Law & Policy

‘After Capitol Breach, It Will Be Even Harder To Protest in Washington’

Lynne Adrine, director of the D.C. Graduate Program and adjunct professor of broadcast and digital journalism in the Newhouse School, wrote an op-ed for Syracuse.com titled “After Capitol breach, it will be even harder to protest in Washington.” Adrine has…

‘When FOIA Goes to Court: 20 Years of Freedom of Information Act Litigation by News Organizations and Reporters’

In 2020, news organizations and individual reporters filed 122 different Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits to compel disclosure of federal government records. A new report by the FOIA Project, which aims to provide the public with timely and complete…

‘Why Every Company Needs To Share Its Mission in 2021’

Jim Olson, professor of practice of public relations in the Newhouse School, wrote an op-ed for Fast Company titled “Why every company needs to share its mission in 2021.” Olson had an extensive 25-year career in corporate communications, working for some…

Roy Gutterman: First Amendment Doesn’t Protect Capitol Riots, Violence

The U.S. Capitol descended into chaos on Jan. 6 as pro-Trump demonstrations and protests turned into violent riots. Peaceful protest is protected under the First Amendment, but where do today’s events stand? Roy Gutterman is an expert on communications law,…

‘Lloyd Austin Can Lead—As a Civilian’

Sean O’Keefe, University Professor in the Maxwell School and the Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair of Strategic Management and Leadership, wrote an op-ed for The Hill titled “Lloyd Austin can lead—as a civilian.” O’Keefe has served in a…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.