Supreme Court Declines to Hear “Freedom” Foundation’s Anti-Union Lawsuit

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Belgau v. Inslee, an anti-union lawsuit brought by the so-called “Freedom” Foundation, a far-right organization that has been trying and failing to destroy unions for the better part of six years. Their entire $30+ million dollar campaign has been an abysmal failure but this may be the most expensive failure to date. It’s hard to estimate how much of their donor’s money they wasted on this case but the organization has been promoting it to their donors since it was first dismissed in 2019.

This week’s rejection follows another anti-union case they lost at the Washington State Supreme Court earlier this year and their failed threat to sue the Governor of Oregon for Covid safety measures that they never followed through with.

It also comes on the heels of former State Rep. Mike Nearman, a “Freedom” Foundation staffer until recently, becoming the first elected official expelled from the Oregon legislature for literally opening the Oregon Capitol door to violent rioters who attacked police and threatened lawmakers back in December. Nearman’s expulsion came less than a week after a video surfaced of him discussing setting up “Operation Hall Pass” with a group of far-right activists at the “Freedom” Foundation’s offices in Salem, Oregon. According to local reporters, they have been trying hard to distance themselves from the violence. Nearman resigned from the “Freedom” Foundation only after the incriminating video was brought to light.

The “Freedom” Foundation’s stated mission is to destroy labor unions in order to help far-right elected officials win office but unions are growing stronger and becoming more popular every year. The anti-worker group’s mission remains a failure as they continue to waste their donor’s money and show their extremism. This latest rejection from SCOTUS is another example of them spending big, with nothing to show for it.