Wisconsin’s right-to-work law championed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker was struck down by a state court on April 8. Circuit Court Judge C. William Foust called the 2015 law a violation of the state constitution, which prohibits the taking of private property without compensation.

Judge Foust said that because unions are required to represent all workers, prohibiting them from charging non-members for bargaining expenses constituted a government-mandated taking of union funds.

Phil Neuenfeldt, the president of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, one of the three unions that filed the suit, said the ruling was a “needed check on Scott Walker’s attacks on working families.”

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel promised to appeal the decision. He said he was confident it would not stand, noting that no similar law has been struck down in any other state.

Walker launched his ill-fated run for president just months after signing the right-to-work law. He frequently mentioned it while campaigning.

Politico, April 11