EAST LANSING, Mich., Feb. 1, 2013 —
Michigan’s new “right-to-work” law should be overturned because the
state Legislature violated state and federal open government laws when
passing it, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by the Michigan
Education Association and others in Ingham County Circuit Court.
Without a single public hearing, the state House and Senate passed
legislation on the afternoon of Dec. 6 to make Michigan a right-to-work
state. Simultaneously that afternoon, state police barred citizens from
entering the Capitol, despite state law that requires the Capitol to
remain open when the Legislature is in session. In addition, partisan
legislative staffers were also ordered to fill the public galleries in
the House and Senate to stop regular citizens from observing the votes.
According to the lawsuit, Michigan lawmakers violated the Michigan
Open Meetings Act, the state Constitution and the First Amendment of the
U.S. Constitution.
"By allowing state police to block citizens from entering the
Capitol, Lansing politicians not only violated the basic American
principles of open and transparent government, they also violated
specific state and federal laws designed to protect the rights of
citizens," MEA President Steven Cook said. "We're confident the courts
will agree that the Legislature's actions on the afternoon of Dec. 6
constituted a clear violation of the Open Meetings Act and should be
invalidated."
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