By Chad Groening and Jerry Bacon
July 3, 2003

(AgapePress) - A Washington state think tank is urging the state's attorney general to appeal an appeals court ruling that struck down a law designed to protect the free speech rights of teachers.

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation (EFF) calls it a "staggering blow" to individual's right to free speech.

In its decision, the Washington State Court of Appeals struck down a state law that prohibited groups -- like the Washington State Teachers Union -- from using mandatory dues from non-member teachers for political activism.

Evergreen spokeswoman Marsha Richards says the court considered the union's free speech more important then an individual's free speech.

Richards explained the court did agreed that forcing teachers -- who are not members of the union -- to associate with the union and pay dues for politics is a violation of those teacher's first amendment rights.

But, astonishingly, the court also ruled that the union's free speech right was the greater issue.

"And so," Richards says, "that trumps the teacher's free speech rights. It really is a complete re-definition of individual free speech rights."

Richards says EFF in encouraging the state's attorney general to appeal the ruling to the Washington State Supreme Court.

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