Columbus, OH – On Thursday, The Buckeye Institute, joined by the Pelican Institute, filed an amicus brief in Crowe v. Oregon State Bar, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the First Amendment rights of lawyers and end laws that force attorneys to join state-sponsored bar associations that lobby on inherently political and ideological issues.

“When bar associations engage in advocacy and speak on matters of public concern, they are engaging in inherently political speech, and forcing attorneys to support this speech through mandatory dues violates the constitutional protections of free speech that we all hold so dear,” said David C. Tryon, director of litigation at The Buckeye Institute.

In their brief, The Buckeye Institute and Pelican argue that Oregon’s integrated bar system that requires attorneys to become members of the state-sponsored bar association—which lobbies and takes positions on political issues—and pay annual dues as a condition to practice law is unconstitutional.  

The Goldwater Institute represents Daniel Crowe, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and an Oregon attorney in Crowe v. Oregon State Bar.

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