Scalia-less Supreme Court Deadlocks on Public-employee Unions, Allowing Compulsory Dues to Stand

The justices said they were split on a challenge brought by a group of California teachers who claim their free speech rights are violated when they are forced to pay dues to the state's teachers union.

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Conservative groups directly asked the court to overturn the 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, which favored the unions. That ruling said that states could allow public-employee unions to collect fees from nonmembers to cover the costs of workplace negotiations but not to cover the union's political activities. More than 20 states allow the fees.