New York, NY, Wednesday, June 19, 2024 – The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (“WBASNY”) vigorously supports the New York Equal Rights Amendment (“ERA”) and applauds the New York State Appellate Division, Fourth Department, for its unanimous decision reversing the lower Court and returning the proposed ERA to the New York State ballot. WBASNY has been an ardent supporter of amending the New York State Constitution to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity/expression as protected classes, together with other protected classes already recognized under the New York Human Rights Law, namely: ethnicity, national origin, age, and disability. This November, New Yorkers will have an opportunity to vote on the Amendment. If passed, the ERA will be enshrined in the New York State Constitution, which will solidify equality under New York Law in a permanent and enduring way. Election Day is 139 days away. WBASNY encourages New York voters to remember to flip the ballot and vote on the ERA.

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The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (“WBASNY”) is the professional membership organization of choice for over 4,000 attorneys throughout New York State and the largest statewide women’s bar association in the country. For more than four decades, WBASNY has been a singularly important resource for women lawyers, providing professional networking, continuing legal education programming, leadership training, and advocacy for the rights of women, children, and families. Through involvement with WBASNY’s 20 regional chapters and its 40-plus substantive law committees, WBASNY’s members collaborate with one another on a variety of issues and perform public and community service, in furtherance of its mission to promote the advancement of the status of women in society and women in the legal profession; to promote the fair and equal administration of justice; and to act as a unified voice for its members with respect to issues of statewide, national and international significance to women generally and women attorneys in particular. WBASNY holds United Nations NGO status with the U.N.’s Department of Public Information, and Special Consultative status in association with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). WBASNY is also a founding member of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations.