New York, NY, Wednesday, May 8, 2024 – On May 7, 2024 Supreme Court, Livingston County Justice Daniel Doyle issued decisions in Marjorie Byrnes, et al. v. The Senate of the State of New York, et al., removing the New York State Equal Rights Amendment (“ERA”) from the ballot for the November, 2024 general election. WBASNY has long supported amending the Equal Rights Amendment to the New York State Constitution.

WBASNY firmly hopes that this case will be successfully appealed. As an organization whose mission is to increase equality for women in the legal profession and in society at large and equality for the population in general, WBASNY believes that it is necessary to pass the Equal Rights Amendment to assure that New Yorkers will not be subject to sex and other types of discrimination. The New York State ERA would expand the list of classes affirmatively protected by the New York State Constitution by providing broad equality under the law. Passage of the Equal Rights Amendment would help to ensure that New Yorkers will not be subject to discrimination based upon race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive health and reproductive autonomy.

While this is a temporary hurdle, it will not curb WBASNY’s efforts as it focuses its energy on registering people to vote and educating voters on the ERA.

###

The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (“WBASNY”) is the professional membership organization of choice for nearly 4,000 attorneys throughout New York State, and the largest statewide women’s bar association in the country. For 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.