“I was born and raised in the New Orleans area and have been a lawyer since 1995. For years, I did some insurance defense work for a firm in downtown New Orleans. I’ve been involved in things like my own practice, a mobile notary service, other things.”

“Right now, membership in the Bar Association is forced and I’ve always been bothered by this since the bar can take these political stances while still speaking on your behalf as a lawyer. But I thought it may be a longshot to actually do something about it.”

“But this started by talking with other like-minded lawyers and mutual friends. We discussed that this is one of the issues where there’s clearly a violation of individual autonomy and freedom of speech. The opportunity arose, and we took it to the next level.”

“The most surprising thing is the response I’ve gotten from people who I don’t know who have reached out to me to communicate how important they think this is and how righteous they think this cause is. Dozens of people have contacted me through letters, emails, Facebook messages, and phone calls.”

“The goal is to make as many associations as possible voluntary. The Bar Association is an example right now where membership is forced. It should not be forced. Having a bar that doesn’t take political stances is an improvement over a bar that forces you to be a member and then speaks on your behalf, but the ultimate example of freedom would be to make membership in the bar completely up to you, up to every individual lawyer. The freedom of association that comes with this is the best solution.”

“Many states have a voluntary bar association, and those bar associations are vibrant. Some people choose to join them, and because they aren’t coerced, those bar associations are more tailored to do what the members want. The institution doesn’t go away when people have the freedom to come and go.”

“This is part of the long-term trend where Americans are increasingly free to choose what they say, how they say it, and the groups that they are members of. The fact that the case has gotten this far, this much attention, and this much positive response shows you that we are on the right side here about individual freedom and individual autonomy.”

“We don’t have to despair. We can say ‘look there’s more freedom and this is the freedom we can point to.’ Cases like the Janus decision point to this kind of success. I see this in that vein.”

“Freedom of speech and freedom of association is something that I’ve never wavered on. I’ve been consistently fighting for limited government and more individual autonomy. I’ve tried to work for that whenever I can.”

– Randy Boudreaux |  Lawyer | New Orleans, LA