Court Halts California Limits on Mandated Workplace Meetings (2)

California state officials must delay enforcing a new law banning mandatory workplace meetings that address politics, religion, and unions, after a federal judge sided with business groups that challenged its validity.

Judge Daniel J. Calabretta granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday, temporarily blocking enforcement of the state’s ban on captive audience meetings, which lawmakers passed in 2024 as SB 399. Calabretta, a Biden appointee, found that the National Labor Relations Act likely preempted the law and that it infringed on employers’ First Amendment rights.

California is one of at least 12 states that have passed captive audience laws at the urging ...