About John M.
John M — West is a Senior Counsel at Bredhoff & Kaiser PLLC in Washington, D.C. He joined the firm in 1989 and has focused on appellate work and litigation in federal and state courts, particularly in education-related matters. Over the past two decades, he has litigated numerous cases involving the constitutionality of private-school voucher programs across various states. Additionally, he has frequently represented educators asserting due process, free speech, and other constitutional and statutory rights. His practice also includes union security (agency fee) litigation, especially on behalf of public sector unions. Matters related to the duty of fair representation, internal union affairs, retiree benefits, qualified immunity, class actions, and RICO litigation. Mr. West has argued cases before the United States Supreme Court, ten of the thirteen federal courts of appeals, six state supreme courts, and numerous federal and state trial courts.
Notable cases he has litigated include Davenport v. Washington Education Association, 551 U.S. 177 (2007), addressing the constitutionality of state restrictions on unions' use of agency shop fees for political purposes; Appoloni v. United States, 450 F.3d 185 (6th Cir. 2006), concerning the taxation of early retirement incentive payments under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act; and Bush v. Holmes, 919 So. 2d 392 (Fla. 2006), which invalidated Florida's school voucher program as contrary to the state constitution's education clause.
He graduated summa cum laude and first in his class from the University of Michigan Law School in 1987, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Michigan Law Review. After law school, he clerked for Judge Harry T. Edwards of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Justice William J. Brennan Jr. of the United States Supreme Court. Mr. West also holds a Ph.D. from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver (1976) and a B.A.
in history from Elizabethtown College (1970). Before attending law school, he taught political science at a small college in Colorado and directed foreign study programs in France and Germany. At Bredhoff & Kaiser, Mr. West continues to represent clients in complex appellate and trial litigation, focusing on education law and labor-related constitutional issues. The firm, located at 805 15th Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, D.C. 20005, is known for its dedication to empowering workers and the institutions that advocate for them. Mr. West is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.
