Strike Two for Right to-Work Statute in Indiana

For the second time in less than a year,  a state-court judge in Indiana has ruled Indiana’s right-to-work statute, which went into effect in 2012 and prohibits compulsory union dues, unlawful.  While a previous state-court ruling against the right-to-work statute, issued last September, was stayed by the deciding judge, Judge Paras of Lake County Circuit Court ruled on July 24, 2014 that the statute was unlawful and that his ruling should take effect immediately.  Judge Paras ruled that the statute was unlawful because it violated the Indiana Constitution’s prohibition on demanding services without just compensation.

State of Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has announced that the state will seek an immediate stay of Judge Paras’s ruling.  The September ruling already has been appealed, with oral arguments set to be heard later this year by the Indiana Supreme Court.