The House Republican chairman threatened to bring the Legal Aid Society lawyers union to Congress on Monday and consider contempt proceedings for evading subpoenas related to an “anti-Semitic” resolution adopted by the group last year. did.
House Education and Labor Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said United Auto Workers Local 2325 Legal Aid Lawyers Association President Lisa Ota “seriously obstructed” the committee’s investigation into her anti-Israel declarations. criticized as .
“Local 2325 violated several legal rights of its members through actions related to the adoption of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and support for workers’ political speech.” According to a copy of the letter obtained by the newspaper, Mr. Fox wrote:
“If Local 2325 does not comply with the subpoena, the Commission may take further action, including subpoenaing Local 2325 officers to the Commission or invoking one or more enforcement mechanisms.”
Congress may initiate criminal contempt proceedings against any person who refuses to comply with a subpoena of the Committee or who refuses to seek enforcement by civil judgment compelling the violating party to respond.
in Letter of March 25th Lawyers for the New York Civil Liberties Union Foundation and Mr. Ota’s personal attorney told the committee that the subpoena violated union members’ free speech and association rights and was “vague and overbroad.”
“[T]The Committee’s real interest in this issue stems from its hostility to the content of the ALAA resolution, where the subpoena not only exceeds the Committee’s legitimate authority, but also violates the United States Constitution.” is writing.
ALAA UAW Local 2325 Treasurer and Treasurer Leah Duncan said in a statement that the union “supports our resolution and the democratic process that led to its overwhelming passage.”
“We are proud to be part of the growing union movement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine,” Duncan said. “We continue to condemn all forms of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and reject the harmful rhetoric that confuses anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.”
Last October, the New York City Public Defender’s Lawyers Association declared that it “firmly opposes decades of Israeli occupation and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”
The initial vote on the declaration came after some Legal Aid Society lawyers filed a lawsuit against the local union branch. Legal Aid itself condemned the resolution as “coded anti-Semitic language and a thinly veiled call for the destruction of the State of Israel.”
However, the union ultimately passed the resolution. 1,067-570 Vote on December 19th.
The committee’s subpoena sought minutes from the Nov. 14 meeting, which Fox said was “pervasive and hostile to opponents of the resolution,” including the four committee members who originally filed the lawsuit. Ta.
These lawyers were also threatened with expulsion before union officials approved an anti-Israel declaration for a vote of all union members next month.
Foxx said the request for meeting minutes does not violate the First Amendment and would not be a violation of future Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) and National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) laws to strengthen legal rights. He emphasized that it is necessary to carry out “revisions.” General labor union member. ”
“The Supreme Court has never held that the First Amendment invalidates Congressional subpoenas. Instead, First Amendment privacy interests cannot be violated. “We have to balance that with the information needs of Congress,” she said.
Fox did not set a new deadline for complying with follow-up requests on the subpoena.
Ota did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
