A court challenge to the National Labor Relations Board’s “quickie” election rule will be heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, on February 29, 2016.

A lawsuit filed on June 1, 2015 by the Associated Building and Contractors of Texas in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas sought a declaratory judgment that the rule is invalid under the Administrative Procedures Act and an injunction against implementation of the rule. The Fifth Circuit challenge is an appeal from Judge Robert L. Pittman’s decision denying the Association’s motion for expedited summary judgment and granting the Board’s motion for summary judgment in that lawsuit.

Hundreds of representation elections have been conducted by the NLRB since the rule became effective on April 14, 2015. A ruling in favor of the Association could invalidate the results of all of those elections, including those where the union won and was certified by the NLRB as the collective bargaining representative of the bargaining unit employees.