Attorney General Ellison wins dismissal of lawsuit challenging Minnesota's ban on captive audience meetings

September 3, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Keith Ellison today won the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging Minnesota’s ban on captive audience meetings. The ban on captive audience meetings, passed during the 2023 legislative session, prevents employers from retaliating against workers who refuse to attend meetings hosted by the employer to push their political or religious views or dissuade employees from unionizing.

In a 2-1 ruling, the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit dismissed the challenge to Minnesota’s captive audience meeting ban, overturning a previous District Court ruling declining to dismiss the lawsuit. The Eighth Circuit ruled that the lawsuit could not go forward because, in the absence of any enforcement actions taken by state officials, the challengers were asking the court to decide a hypothetical dispute.

“Today’s ruling is a win for working people across Minnesota,” said Attorney General Ellison. “Employees should not be forced to attend meetings that push their boss’ political or religious views. Similarly, if workers are trying to form a union, management should not be able to hold mandatory meetings to spread anti-union propaganda and retaliate against workers who refuse to attend. The whole purpose of unions is to create a more level playing field at the workplace by empowering workers to act collectively. It would be fundamentally unjust and unfair to allow management to weaponize the disproportionate power they have in the workplace to hold mandatory, anti-union meetings in an attempt to stop a union from forming in the first place.”

One key feature of Minnesota’s ban on captive audience meetings is a private right of action, meaning that individuals can file a lawsuit if their rights have been violated. In celebrating today’s victory, Attorney General Ellison reminded workers that the law remains on the books and continues to protect employees from being demoted, suspended, fired, or otherwise punished for not attending political, religious, or anti-union meetings.

“In Minnesota, if you face retaliation in the workplace for refusing to attend a meeting intended to push your employer’s political agenda or thwart efforts to form a union, you can actually file a lawsuit and hold your employer accountable for violating your rights,” added Ellison. “I am pleased to have won a ruling protecting that important right, and I will continue to defend Minnesota laws and the dignity of working people everywhere.”