Opinion ID: 1247623
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Constitutionality of Expending Objecting Members' Dues for Political and Ideological Causes

Text: A threshold issue precedent to any First Amendment analysis is whether the State Bar is legally authorized to make the expenditures to which plaintiffs object. Indeed, if the objectionable expenditures are precluded by statute or decisional law, there is no need for further inquiry. ( Ellis, supra, 466 U.S. at pp. 444-445 [80 L.Ed.2d at pp. 439-440].) The State Bar is, as the majority point out, statutorily authorized to expend funds for a broad range of activities. [9] (See maj. opn., ante, at p. 1169.) However, it is only if, or when, an expenditure is authorized by law that we are required to analyze the constitutionality of the expenditure of objecting members' mandatory dues under the First Amendment. ( Ellis, supra, 466 U.S. at p. 447 [80 L.Ed.2d at p. 441].) The majority has properly identified Ellis v. Railway Clerks, supra, 466 U.S. 435 as the authority explicating the First Amendment analysis of expenditure by a compulsory association  either union or bar association  of objecting members' dues for political or ideological causes. Ellis mandates a three-step analysis to determine which political and ideological activities may be funded by mandatory dues over members' objections. First, it must be determined whether the activity is germane to the purpose which justified compulsory membership in the bar in the first place. (466 U.S. at p. 447 [80 L.Ed.2d at p. 441].) The governmental interest in the delivery of quality legal services to the public and the improvement of the legal profession have been held sufficient to justify the infringement of First Amendment rights that may occur when attorneys are required to become bar members. ( Lathrop v. Donohue, supra, 367 U.S. at p. 843 [6 L.Ed.2d at p. 1205]; see text, ante, at p. 1177.) When bar activities serve this interest, [10] or when expenditures are necessarily or reasonably incurred to finance activities that serve this interest, then such expenditures are considered germane. ( Ellis, supra, 466 U.S. 435 at p. 448 [80 L.Ed.2d at p. 442].) If an expenditure serves the state's interest in the delivery of quality legal services to the public and the improvement of the legal profession, the second step of the Ellis analysis requires that we determine whether these expenses involve additional interference with the First Amendment interests of objecting employees.... (466 U.S. at p. 456 [80 L.Ed.2d at p. 447].) Finally, if the activities funded by the questioned expenditure do involve additional interference with First Amendment rights, we must determine whether they are nonetheless adequately supported by a governmental interest. ( Ibid. [80 L.Ed.2d at p. 447].) Thus, if a bar activity impinges upon First Amendment interests beyond the interference inherent in compulsory membership in the first instance, the bar must identify a governmental interest that justifies such additional interference. For example, the investigation of charges of attorney misconduct or the administration of the bar examination do not appear to interfere with members' First Amendment interests. Lobbying the Legislature for approval of the bar's proposed budget, however, would seem to implicate bar members' First Amendment rights. Nonetheless, such activity would appear justified by the governmental purposes underlying the requirement of compulsory membership in the State Bar. Without an adequate budget, the bar would be unable to conduct activities designed to advance the delivery of quality legal services to the public and to improve the legal profession. I do not suggest the governmental interest that may justify additional interference with objecting bar members' First Amendment rights is limited to advancing the delivery of quality legal services or to improving the legal profession. As the majority suggests, in some circumstances the state's interest `in drawing upon [lawyers'] training and experience' may adequately justify additional infringement of bar members' First Amendment rights. (See maj. opn., ante, at p. 1169 [quoting Falk I, supra, 305 N.W.2d 201, 231].) However, it must remain to the State Bar and its members to work out and, if necessary, to future decisions to determine, whether other activities which additionally interfere with objecting State Bar members' First Amendment rights are justified by a sufficient governmental interest. I turn to the activities at issue in this case.
In seeking declaratory relief, plaintiffs challenge the State Bar's expenditure of objecting members' dues to fund the cost of lobbying the Legislature, filing briefs amicus curiae, holding conventions of the State Bar Conference of Delegates, disseminating the speeches of its then president-elect and conducting a public information program concerning the election of justices. Because this matter comes to us on summary judgment, the record is not sufficiently developed to apply the constitutional standard to most of the expenditures plaintiffs challenge. Thus, I shall undertake to discuss only the constitutional parameters within which the objectionable activities should be analyzed.
The constitutionality of the bar's expenditure of objecting members' dues to fund the cost of lobbying the Legislature or filing amicus curiae briefs cannot be determined in the abstract. The trial court would first have to determine whether the lobbying or litigation activity of which plaintiffs complain serves the governmental interest in advancing the delivery of quality legal services to the public or improving the legal profession. If so, the court would then determine whether the challenged activity involves interference with First Amendment rights beyond that occasioned by compulsory bar membership itself. If it does, the State Bar would have the burden (see Railway Clerks v. Allen (1963) 373 U.S. 113, 122 [10 L.Ed.2d 235, 241-242, 83 S.Ct. 1158]) of identifying some other governmental interest justifying such additional interference. ( Ellis, supra, 466 U.S. 435 at p. 456 [80 L.Ed.2d at p. 447].)
There can be little doubt that some conference activities serve the state's interest in advancing the delivery of quality legal services to the public or in improving the legal profession. It also seems possible that some conference activities do not additionally infringe objecting members' First Amendment rights beyond the infringement inherent in compelled membership. It appears likely, however, that expenditures for some conference activities would be found to impinge additionally upon objecting members' First Amendment rights. As to these expenditures, the bar would have the opportunity to identify a governmental interest justifying the expenditure. The record before us is insufficient to make this determination. Further, the trial court made no such determination and it would be the trial court's function in the first instance to do so. Thus, it would remain to the trial court to determine upon sufficient evidence whether any of plaintiffs' dues was expended in violation of their First Amendment rights.
Plaintiffs do not object to publication of bar officers' speeches or public information programs in general. Generally, insofar as publication of speeches or information programs serves the state's interest in advancing the delivery of quality legal services to the public or improving the legal profession, the bar may fund such activities with objecting members' mandatory dues. If such activities do serve these interests, the court would have to determine whether the challenged expenditures interfere with objecting members' First Amendment rights beyond the interference inherent in compulsory bar membership. If they do, the court would then determine if the challenged expenditures are nonetheless justified by some other sufficient governmental interest. I do agree, however, with the majority that President-elect Anthony Murray's speech and the public education materials, by virtue of their content and timing, constituted the adoption of a specific position in a public election. Consequently, I agree that, as a matter of law, such election activities were not legally authorized expenditures under our decision in Stanson v. Mott, supra, 17 Cal.3d 206. That being so, no further analysis of those expenditures under the First Amendment is necessary.