Michael Reitz
Key Player
General Counsel, Evergreen Freedom FoundationMichael Reitz is General Counsel of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation (EFF), where he oversees the organization’s legal projects. A member of the Washington and California Bars, Reitz is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Reitz helped oversee EFF’s legal battle against the Washington Education Association (WEA) for misusing teachers’ dues for political activities which culminated in a favorable U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
EFF also advocates that union contract negotiations with the state should be open to the public. In 2007, EFF filed a request for notes made by the governor’s negotiators and the Washington Public Employees Association. The union argued that releasing the notes would undermine their ability to fight for pay raises and benefits.
A King County judge disagreed and ordered the release of the notes. “Union members, legislators and taxpayers deserve to know how the state arrived at a final collective bargaining agreement,” said Reitz.
In 2008, Reitz co-wrote EFF’s book, To Protect Freedom and Maintain Individual Rights: A Citizen’s Guide to the Washington Constitution, Article I. It examines the sources of the Washington Constitution, the state’s 1889 constitutional debates, and significant court decisions. Reitz notes that by educating citizens about the sources of their freedoms and historical attempts by government to limit them, they are better equipped to defend their rights.