U.S. Supreme Court Justices Clash Over Mandatory Union Fees
- Gorsuch, set to cast deciding vote, says nothing in argument
- Shorthanded court split evenly on free speech issue in 2016
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Members of the U.S. Supreme Court clashed sharply Monday over the right of public-sector workers to refuse to pay union fees, while the justice who will cast the deciding vote kept silent during an hour-long argument.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s appointee who is serving his first full term, is poised to break the tie on a free-speech issue that split a shorthanded court two years ago. The case could affect 5 million workers in about two dozen states that allow public workers to be required to pay fees.