Opinion ID: 1247623
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Proceedings in This Action.

Text: Plaintiffs, 21 members of the State Bar, filed suit against the bar and its Board of Governors. Their complaint alleged that [t]he State Bar of California, by and through its Board of Governors, has expended and will continue to expend substantial portions of the revenues derived from ... mandatory dues payments to advance political and ideological causes, including, but not limited to: a. lobbying the California State Legislature on various matters ...; b. submitting briefs amicus curiae in various cases ...; c. financing meetings of the Conference of Delegates at which political and ideological causes are advanced ...; d. publicizing the political and ideological speeches of its president, Anthony M. Murray ...; e. financing a so-called `public information' project designed to disseminate to the general public a particular ideology regarding judicial retention elections.... Plaintiffs then alleged that they do not subscribe to many of the political and ideological causes promoted by the bar, and object to the use of mandatory dues to advance any of the political and ideological views of the Board of Governors or the conference of delegates. They sought a declaration that defendants have violated their constitutional rights, an injunction restraining defendants from using bar dues or the name of the State Bar to advance political and ideological causes or beliefs, and an injunction compelling defendants to reimburse the bar for all funds expended for political and ideological purposes since September 12, 1982. Plaintiffs attached a partial list of the bills which the bar has lobbied for or against, of the cases in which it has appeared as amicus curiae, and of resolutions adopted by the conference of delegates. They also attached a copy of Anthony Murray's inaugural address when he became president of the bar on September 12, 1982, a press release describing that address, and a later press release dated October 8. (Although the complaint referred to speeches, the September 12 speech is apparently the only one at issue.) Finally, plaintiffs attached a copy of an educational packet entitled The Case for an Independent Judiciary distributed by the bar in October of 1982. The packet included a copy of Murray's inaugural address, a resolution of the Board of Governors, a sample speech, fact sheets on crime and conviction rates, judicial retention elections, and judicial performance, and suggestions for speech fora and media coverage. Defendants answered, admitting that they have used dues to finance all of the described activities, but maintaining that such expenditures did not violate plaintiffs' rights. [2] Defendants then moved for summary judgment or adjudication of issues. In support, they submitted declarations which described the bar's legislative and amicus curiae program and asserted that the bar usually acted only in matters which affect the bar itself, the attorney-client relationship, or the administration of justice. In lobbying or filing amicus curiae briefs the bar's representatives purport to act only on behalf of the State Bar, and not to represent the views of each of its members. Plaintiffs filed a cross-motion for summary judgment, but submitted no declarations. The trial court granted summary judgment for defendants, finding that the State Bar was a governmental agency authorized to do the acts in question. The court further found that the plaintiffs had failed to show that the individual defendants acted without due care or in bad faith. The Court of Appeal reversed. The majority opinion by Justice Sparks divided State Bar activities into two categories. The first, regulatory activities, included the testing and admission of bar applicants and the disciplining of members. These activities, the Court of Appeal said, were akin to those of a governmental agency. The bar's administration-of-justice function  a function which included all the activities here challenged  it found akin to the actions of a labor union. Such action it held, could be financed from mandatory dues only if the particular action in question served a state interest important enough to overcome the interference with dissenters' First Amendment rights. [3] Each lobbying activity, it said, and each amicus curiae brief, would have to be examined, with the State Bar bearing the burden to justify its action. The Court of Appeal further held that the Murray speech and educational packet constituted election campaigning unauthorized by statute. It further found that the Board of Governors' approval of such unauthorized expenditures may subject its members to personal liability, and raised a triable issue concerning their good faith and exercise of due care. We granted the defendants' petition for review.