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Mark Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31, et al.

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, No. 16-3638 · judgment March 21, 2017

Decided · June 27, 2018
At-filing estimate: 2% cert probability

Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Question presented

Twice in the past five years this Court has questioned its holding in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, 431 U.S. 209 (1977) that it is constitutional for a government to force its employees to pay agency fees to an exclusive representative for speaking and contracting with the government over policies that affect their profession. See Harris v. Quinn, U.S., _, 134 S. Ct. 2618, 2632-34 (2014); Knox v. SEIU, Local 1000, 567 U.S. 298, _, 132 S. Ct. 2277, 2289 (2012). Last term this Court split 4 to 4 on whether to overrule Abood. Friedrichs v. Cal. Teachers Ass'n, U.S., 136 S. Ct. 1083 (2016). This case presents the same question presented in Friedrichs: should Abood be overruled and public sector agency fee arrangements declared unconstitutional under the First Amendment?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
William L. Messenger

For respondent
David Leigh Franklin
Office of the Attorney General of Illinois

Case

Subject area
First Amendment (estimated from the questions presented, in the Supreme Court Database’s categories)

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Amicus briefs
10 cert-stage · 66 merits
(27 supporting pet./neither, 39 respondent)

Order
Miscellaneous order, February 16, 2018

Argument & decision

Argued February 26, 2018 — William L. Messenger · David L. Franklin · David C. Frederick. Listen and read along · the Court’s audio

Decided June 27, 2018. Opinion by Alito.

Proceedings

  1. Jul 30 2018
    JUDGMENT ISSUED.
  2. Jun 27 2018
    Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Alito, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Kennedy, Thomas, and Gorsuch, JJ., joined. Sotomayor, J. filed a dissenting opinion. Kagan, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Ginsburg, Breyer, and Sotomayor, JJ., joined.
  3. Feb 26 2018
    Argued. For petitioner: William L. Messenger, Springfield, Va.; and Noel J. Francisco, Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.) For state respondents: David L. Franklin, Solicitor General of Illinois, Chicago, Ill. For respondent AFSCME Council 31: David C. Frederick, Washington, D. C.
  4. Feb 16 2018
    Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument GRANTED.
  5. Feb 16 2018
    Motion for divided argument filed by respondent GRANTED.
  6. Feb 12 2018
    Reply of petitioner Mark Janus filed. (Distributed)
  7. Jan 23 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Child Protective Service Workers and Their Representatives filed. (Distributed)
  8. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of New York City Municipal Labor Committee filed. (Distributed)
  9. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of State of California filed. (Distributed)
  10. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Republican Current and Former State and Local Officeholders filed. (Distributed)
  11. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of The National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems filed. (Distributed)
  12. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops filed. (Distributed)
  13. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Mayor Eric Garcetti, County Executive Dow Constantine, Mayor Jenny Durkan, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Mayor James Kenney, and Mayor Bill De Blasio filed. (Distributed)
  14. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of International Association of Fire Fighters filed. (Distributed)
  15. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Los Angeles County's Department of Health Services, et al. filed. (Distributed)
  16. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of American Federation of Government Employees filed. (Distributed)
  17. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Constitutional Law Scholars filed. (Distributed)
  18. Jan 19 2018
    Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed.
  19. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of NEW YORK CITY SERGEANTS BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION filed. (Distributed)
  20. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Labor Law & Labor Relations Professors filed. (Distributed)
  21. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of States of New York, Alaska Connecticut Delaware Hawaii Iowa Kentucky Maine Maryland Massachusetts Minnesota New Mexico New Jersey North Carolina Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont Virginia and Washington and the District of Columbia filed. (Distributed)
  22. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of American Civil Liberties Union filed. (Distributed)
  23. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of American Federation of Teachers filed. (Distributed)
  24. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of Laborers' International Union of North America filed. (Distributed)
  25. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., National Center for Lesbian Rights, National LGBTQ Task Force, and PFLAG National filed. (Distributed)
  26. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Professors Cynthia L. Estlund, Samuel Estreicher, Julius G. Getman, William B. Gould IV, Michael C. Harper, and Theodore J. St. Antoine filed. (Distributed)
  27. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of The City of New York filed. (Distributed)
  28. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Faith in Public Life, et al. filed. (Distributed)
  29. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of Professor Benjamin I. Sachs filed. (Distributed)
  30. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Professors Eugene Volokh and William Baude filed. (Distributed)
  31. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of 24 Past Presidents of the D.C. Bar filed. (Distributed)
  32. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Crown Building Maintenance Co. d/b/a Able Services and Northern Indiana Independent Contractors Group filed. (Distributed)
  33. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of National Women's Law Center, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and 85 Additional Organizations Committed to Civil Rights and Economic Opportunity filed. (Distributed)
  34. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of National Education Association, et al. filed. (Distributed)
  35. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of The National Fraternal Order of Police filed. (Distributed)
  36. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of International Association of Machininists and Aerospace Workers filed. (Distributed)
  37. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Fifteen Unions, et al. filed. (Distributed)
  38. Jan 19 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of International Brotherhood of Teamsters filed. (Distributed)
  39. Jan 19 2018
    Joint motion for divided argument filed by respondents.
  40. Jan 18 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of Steve Bullock, Governor of Montana filed. (Distributed)
  41. Jan 18 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Economists and Professors of Law and Economics filed. (Distributed)
  42. Jan 18 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Governor Tom Wolf, et al. filed. (Distributed)
  43. Jan 18 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Richard Blumenthal filed. (Distributed)
  44. Jan 18 2018
    Brief amicus curiae of Public Citizen, Inc. filed. (Distributed)
  45. Jan 18 2018
    Brief amici curiae of American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations filed. (Distributed)
  46. Jan 18 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Chabot Las-Positas Faculty Association, et al. filed. (Distributed)
  47. Jan 18 2018
    Brief amici curiae of Workers Rasheedah Gray, et al filed. (Distributed)
  48. Jan 12 2018
    Brief of respondents Lisa Madigan and Michael Hoffman filed. (Distributed)
  49. Jan 12 2018
    Brief of respondent American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31 filed. (Distributed)
  50. Jan 10 2018
    Record requested from the U.S.C.A. 7th Circuit.
  51. Jan 10 2018
    Record received from the U.S.C.A. 7th Circuit is electronic.
  52. Jan 05 2018
    CIRCULATED
  53. Dec 20 2017
    SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Monday, February 26, 2018
  54. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Gregory J. Hartnett, Elizabeth M. Galaska, Robert G. Brough, Jr., John M. Cress filed.
  55. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Charles Fried and Robert C. Post in support of neither party filed.
  56. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of Competitive Enterprise Institute filed.
  57. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of California Public-school Teachers filed.
  58. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Jane Ladley and Christopher Meier filed.
  59. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty filed.
  60. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of American Center for Law & Justice filed.
  61. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of United States filed.
  62. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of James Madison Institute filed.
  63. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of Landmark Legal Foundation filed.
  64. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amici curiae of The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions and Southeastern Legal Foundation filed.
  65. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of Atlantic Legal Foundation filed.
  66. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of Corporate Law Professors in support of neither party filed.
  67. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of Mackinac Center for Public Policy filed.
  68. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Certified Public Accountants in support of neither party filed.
  69. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amici curiae of The Center on National Labor Policy, Inc. & Ben Johnson filed.
  70. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Jason R. Barclay and James S. Montana, Jr. filed.
  71. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Rebecca Friedrichs, et al. filed.
  72. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Freedom Foundation and Economists filed.
  73. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Employees of the State of Minnesota Court System filed.
  74. Dec 06 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of 1851 Center for Constitutional Law filed.
  75. Dec 05 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Michigan, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin filed.
  76. Dec 05 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of The Rutherford Institute filed.
  77. Dec 05 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence filed.
  78. Dec 01 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of Pacific Legal Foundation filed.
  79. Nov 29 2017
    Brief of petitioner Mark Janus filed.
  80. Nov 29 2017
    Joint appendix filed. (Statement of costs filed)
  81. Nov 15 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Cato Institute, et al. filed.
  82. Nov 14 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of James Madison Center for Free Speech, Inc. filed.
  83. Nov 08 2017
    The time to file the joint appendix and petitioner's brief on the merits is extended to and including November 29, 2017.
  84. Nov 08 2017
    The time to file respondents' briefs on the merits is extended to and including January 12, 2018.
  85. Nov 03 2017
    Blanket Consent filed by Petitioner, Mark Janus.
  86. Nov 02 2017
    Blanket Consent filed by Respondent, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31
  87. Oct 24 2017
    Blanket Consent filed by Respondents, Lisa Madigan and Michael Hoffman.
  88. Sep 28 2017
    Petition GRANTED.
  89. Aug 30 2017
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/25/2017.
  90. Aug 29 2017
    Reply of petitioner Mark Janus filed.
  91. Aug 11 2017
    Brief of respondent American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31 in opposition filed.
  92. Aug 10 2017
    Brief of respondents Lisa Madigan and Michael Hoffman in opposition filed.
  93. Jul 10 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of Debora Nearman filed.
  94. Jul 10 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Rebecca Friedrichs, et al. filed.
  95. Jul 10 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of The Competitive Enterprise Institute filed.
  96. Jul 10 2017
    Brief amici curiae of the Cato Institute, et al. filed.
  97. Jul 10 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Michigan and Eighteen other States filed.
  98. Jul 10 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of Atlantic Legal Foundation filed.
  99. Jul 10 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence filed.
  100. Jul 10 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of Mackinac Center for Public Policy filed.
  101. Jul 07 2017
    Brief amicus curiae of the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions filed.
  102. Jul 07 2017
    Brief amici curiae of Pacific Legal Foundation, et al. filed.
  103. Jul 03 2017
    Order extending time to file response to petition to and including August 11, 2017, for all respondents.
  104. Jun 26 2017
    Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for respondents Michael Hoffman, in his official capacity as the Acting Director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, et al.
  105. Jun 21 2017
    Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for petitioner.
  106. Jun 20 2017
    Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for respondent American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 31.
  107. Jun 06 2017
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due July 10, 2017)