Unions Score Big, Thanks To Absent Scalia

In a case that serves as the most obvious consequence yet of Justice Antonin Scalia’s sudden death in February, this week the Supreme Court split 4-4 on a major union lawsuit, effectively handing organized labor a major win. The case dealt with whether government workers can be required to pay a fee for the representation they receive, even if they decline to join the union. The suit was brought by nine California teachers and a Christian educators group. In January, Justice Scalia hinted that he favored the arguments against such requirements, putting unions on the precipice for a potentially historic legal blow. The 4-4 split in the case allows the lower court ruling, which favored unions, to prevail.