Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/17pdf/16-1466_2b3j.pdf
Page Number: 6.0

Cite as:  585 U. S. ____ (2018) 

1 

Opinion of the Court 

NOTICE:  This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in the
preliminary  print  of  the  United  States  Reports.  Readers  are  requested  to
notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Court of the United States, Wash­
ington,  D. C.  20543,  of  any  typographical  or  other  formal  errors,  in  order
that corrections may be made before the preliminary print goes to press. 

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES 

_________________ 

No. 16–1466 
_________________ 

MARK JANUS, PETITIONER v. AMERICAN FEDER­
ATION OF STATE, COUNTY, AND MUNICIPAL 

EMPLOYEES, COUNCIL 31, ET AL. 

ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF 

APPEALS FOR THE SEVENTH CIRCUIT
 

[June 27, 2018] 

JUSTICE ALITO delivered the opinion of the Court. 
Under Illinois law, public employees are forced to subsi­
dize  a  union,  even  if  they  choose  not  to  join  and  strongly
object  to  the  positions  the  union  takes  in  collective  bar­
gaining  and  related  activities.  We  conclude  that  this 
arrangement  violates  the  free  speech  rights  of  nonmem­
bers  by  compelling  them  to  subsidize  private  speech  on 
matters of substantial public concern.

We upheld a similar law in Abood v. Detroit Bd. of Ed., 
431  U. S.  209  (1977),  and  we  recognize  the  importance  of
following precedent unless there are strong reasons for not
doing  so.  But  there  are  very  strong  reasons  in  this  case.
Fundamental  free  speech  rights  are  at  stake.  Abood  was 
poorly  reasoned. 
It  has  led  to  practical  problems  and 
abuse. 
It  is  inconsistent  with  other  First  Amendment 
cases and has been undermined by more recent decisions.
Developments  since  Abood  was  handed  down  have  shed 
new  light  on  the  issue  of  agency  fees,  and  no  reliance
interests on the part of public-sector unions are sufficient
to  justify  the  perpetuation  of  the  free  speech  violations