Appeals Court Divided on Target of N.C. Farm Union Dues Law

A federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., appeared split during oral argument on whether a North Carolina law barring the automatic withdrawal of agricultural workers’ union dues from their paychecks narrowly targeted the only union in the state that represents farmworkers.

Singling out the Farm Labor Organizing Committee to suppress its voice renders the law unconstitutional, counsel for the union argued Wednesday at the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

The law appears neutral on its face but “seems pretty micro-targeted” to the sole union representing farmworkers in the state, Judge Toby Heytens, a Biden appointee, said during ...