U.S. High Court Justices Clash Over Mandatory Union Fees

Members of the U.S. Supreme Court clashed sharply Feb. 26 over the right of public-sector workers to refuse to pay union fees, while the justice who will cast the deciding vote kept silent during an hour-long argument.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, the Donald Trump appointee who is serving his first full term, is poised to break the tie on a free-speech issue that split a shorthanded court two years ago. The case could affect 5 million workers in about two dozen states that allow public workers to be required to pay fees.

By all appearances, the case will divide his eight ...