Louisiana Mandatory Bar Dues Violate Free Speech, Suit Says (1)

Louisiana’s requirement that licensed attorneys join and pay dues to the state’s bar association is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights, a new lawsuit claims.

The Aug. 1 lawsuit, filed against the Louisiana State Bar Association and the state’s Supreme Court, claims the LSBA uses the mandatory dues it collects to engage in political and ideological speech, including the advocacy of particular public policies.

The collection of mandatory dues to “subsidize political and ideological speech without attorneys’ affirmative consent violates their First Amendment right to choose what private speech they will and will not support and is not necessary ...