In today’s news and commentary, OSHA workplace inspections significantly drop in 2025; the Court denies a petition for certiorari to review a Minnesota law banning mandatory anti-union meetings at work; and the Court declines two petitions to determine whether Air Force service members should receive backpay as a result of religious challenges to the now-revoked COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The New York Times reports that in 2025, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections in the workplace substantially dropped. The released data demonstrates a 20 percent decrease in workplace inspections by OSHA during a six-month period last year. The data shows that between April and September of 2024, there were 29,229 inspections, whereas there were 23,531 inspections during the same time frame in 2025. While there are generally fluctuations in the number of inspections, they are of a smaller margin. This has raised concerns among labor experts and advocates of a relaxation in oversight over companies and a potential increase for injuries and deaths. This drop also comes after the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back efforts around workplace safety, including efforts to removemandates for protective equipment for employees who regularly work with dangerous chemicals.
Meanwhile, the Court denied a petition for certiorari to review a Minnesota law that bans mandatory anti-union meetings at work, otherwise known as captive-audience meetings. The U.S. Court of...
A federal grand jury subpoenaed records from the Arizona Senate's debunked "audit" of the 2020 election in Maricopa County amid fears that the Trump administration will attempt to assert control o...