Judge Dismisses Maine Professor’s Suit Against School’s Faculty Union

Maine Public | By Ed Morin

Published December 6, 2018 at 5:46 AM EST

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a University of Maine at Machias professor against the school's faculty union.

The Bangor Daily News reports that Jonathan Reisman objected to the union's use of dues money to support Hillary Clinton's presidential campaigns and a hike in the minimum wage. Reisman also took issue with union funds being used to oppose Governor Paul LePage's gubernatorial campaigns.

U.S. District Judge Jon Levy said that the U.S. Supreme Court decision Reisman cited in his suit does not apply in this case. Reisman is active in the Maine Republican Party. He ran an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 1998.

The paper says Reisman's attorney has indicated that the the district court decision would be appealed.

Originally published Dec. 5, 2018 at 4:48 p.m. ET.

Maine

Ed Morin

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.

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