Reuters, Wisconsin Bar Can’t Dodge Challenge to Mandatory Membership over Diversity Program:
A federal judge on Monday allowed a lawsuit to move ahead that alleges mandatory membership in the Wisconsin State Bar violates the free speech rights of members who object to certain initiatives of the association including diversity programs.
U.S. Magistrate Stephen Dries on Monday denied the Wisconsin State Bar’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Daniel Suhr, a Wisconsin attorney represented by the conservative legal advocacy group Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) [press release].
Suhr alleged that requiring him to join a bar association that uses mandatory dues for diversity programs that he claims discriminate against white men violates his First Amendment rights. Suhr claimed that any dues-funded political activities that the bar undertakes violate his First Amendment rights.
Law360, Some Wisconsin State Bar Officers Let Out Of Diversity Bias Suit
Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:
- Conservative Group Sues Wisconsin Bar To Block Diversity Clerkship Program For Law Students (Dec. 23, 2023)
- Discrimination Lawsuit Prompts Wisconsin Bar To Modify 1L Diversity Clerkship Program To Focus On ‘Merit And Diversity Of Viewpoint’ (Apr. 8, 2024)
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