California out on political, religious speech at work meetings gets look at Ninth Circuit

California's Senate Bill 399, which prohibits employers from penalizing employees for skipping mandatory work meetings involving political or religious speech, faces legal challenges in the Ninth Circuit. Employers argue the law infringes on their First Amendment rights, while California contends it only restricts punishment for non-attendance, not the meetings themselves. Judges expressed skepticism about applying the 'captive audience' doctrine to private employers.