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What did the U.S. Supreme Court decide in Janus v. AFSCME in 2018?

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The Code of Hammurabi diorite stela, with carved figures at the top showing Hammurabi seated with cuneiform inscriptions below. — Labour law Diorite stela inscribed with the Code of Hammurabi, 18th century bce.

In the 2018 case of Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education.12

The Court ruled 5–4 that mandatory agency shop service fees for public-sector employees are unconstitutional under the First Amendment. The majority held that such fees effectively compel nonunion employees to subsidize union speech on matters of "great public importance," as collective bargaining in the public sector inherently affects government policy, taxes, and government budgets. Consequently, the decision invalidated the agency shop for all public-sector employees, determining that the previous legal framework established in Abood was poorly reasoned and inconsistent with standard constitutional principles.12