Note: This article may contain commentary reflecting the author's opinion.
On Tuesday, the California Court of Appeals upheld two injunctions against the state of California that forced corporate boards to establish diversity quotas for board members.
In recent years California has passed legislation that has mandated that company boards establish diversity quotas. In 2018, the California legislature declared that they want to see “more women directors serving on boards of directors of publicly held corporations.”
The law forced corporations to have a slot on corporate boards for someone “who self-identifies her gender as a woman,” according to The Daily Caller.
At the time, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) enthusiastically signed them into law stating: “Today’s actions build on the Newsom Administration’s work to acknowledge historic wrongs and combat structural racism and bias in our institutions.”
The legislation, however, has now been struck down thanks to the effort of the conservative legal group Judicial Watch.
“The California courts again have upheld the core American value of equal protection under the law. Judicial Watch’s taxpayer clients are heroes for standing up for civil rights against the Left’s pernicious efforts to undo anti-discrimination protections,” explained Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Judicial Watch’s legal team has helped protect the civil rights of every American with these successful lawsuits.”
FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN: FEDERAL COURT SHOOTS DOWN BIDEN VACCINE MANDATE FOR CONTRACTORS
“Judicial Watch filed a gender quota lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2019 on behalf of three California taxpayers,” the organization wrote in a statement. “The lawsuit challenged a 2018 law, Senate Bill 826 (SB 826), which mandated every publicly held corporation headquartered in California to have at least one director “who self-identifies her gender as a woman” on its board of directors.”
“Judicial Watch successfully argued that the quota for women on corporate boards violates the Equal Protection Clause of the California Constitution,” the release continued. “In May 2022, after a 28-day trial, the Superior Court delivered its verdict finding that ‘S.B. 826’s goal was to achieve general equity or parity; its goal was not to boost California’s economy, not to improve opportunities for women in the workplace nor not to protect California taxpayers, public employees, pensions and retirees.'”
The initial court order that mandated the blocking of the corporate quotas concluded that it was unconstitutional under the state constitution with the judge explaining that “the statute treats similarly situated individuals – qualified potential corporate board members – differently based on their membership (or lack thereof) in certain listed racial, sexual orientation, and gender identity groups. It requires that a certain specific number of board seats be reserved for members of the groups on the list – and necessarily excludes members of other groups from those seats.”
“California must treat its citizens equally as individuals under the law, and not give discriminatory, preferential treatment to some based on race, ethnicity or LGBT status,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “This court ruling marks a watershed in the core American value of equal protection under the law for all Americans. And it warns against the pernicious racialism of the radical Left.”
Thanks to the efforts by Judicial Watch, these unconstitutional laws have been blocked and Gov. Newsom’s attempts to exclude individuals based on innate characteristics in the name of diversity have been halted in their tracks.
You Can Follow Sterling on Twitter Here
On Tuesday, the California Court of Appeals upheld two injunctions against the state of California that forced corporate boards to establish diversity quotas for board members.
In recent years California has passed legislation that has mandated that company boards establish diversity quotas. In 2018, the California legislature declared that they want to see “more women directors serving on boards of directors of publicly held corporations.”
The law forced corporations to have a slot on corporate boards for someone “who self-identifies her gender as a woman,” according to The Daily Caller.
At the time, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) enthusiastically signed them into law stating: “Today’s actions build on the Newsom Administration’s work to acknowledge historic wrongs and combat structural racism and bias in our institutions.”
The legislation, however, has now been struck down thanks to the effort of the conservative legal group Judicial Watch.
“The California courts again have upheld the core American value of equal protection under the law. Judicial Watch’s taxpayer clients are heroes for standing up for civil rights against the Left’s pernicious efforts to undo anti-discrimination protections,” explained Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Judicial Watch’s legal team has helped protect the civil rights of every American with these successful lawsuits.”
FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN: FEDERAL COURT SHOOTS DOWN BIDEN VACCINE MANDATE FOR CONTRACTORS
“Judicial Watch filed a gender quota lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2019 on behalf of three California taxpayers,” the organization wrote in a statement. “The lawsuit challenged a 2018 law, Senate Bill 826 (SB 826), which mandated every publicly held corporation headquartered in California to have at least one director “who self-identifies her gender as a woman” on its board of directors.”
“Judicial Watch successfully argued that the quota for women on corporate boards violates the Equal Protection Clause of the California Constitution,” the release continued. “In May 2022, after a 28-day trial, the Superior Court delivered its verdict finding that ‘S.B. 826’s goal was to achieve general equity or parity; its goal was not to boost California’s economy, not to improve opportunities for women in the workplace nor not to protect California taxpayers, public employees, pensions and retirees.'”
The initial court order that mandated the blocking of the corporate quotas concluded that it was unconstitutional under the state constitution with the judge explaining that “the statute treats similarly situated individuals – qualified potential corporate board members – differently based on their membership (or lack thereof) in certain listed racial, sexual orientation, and gender identity groups. It requires that a certain specific number of board seats be reserved for members of the groups on the list – and necessarily excludes members of other groups from those seats.”
“California must treat its citizens equally as individuals under the law, and not give discriminatory, preferential treatment to some based on race, ethnicity or LGBT status,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “This court ruling marks a watershed in the core American value of equal protection under the law for all Americans. And it warns against the pernicious racialism of the radical Left.”
Thanks to the efforts by Judicial Watch, these unconstitutional laws have been blocked and Gov. Newsom’s attempts to exclude individuals based on innate characteristics in the name of diversity have been halted in their tracks.
You Can Follow Sterling on Twitter Here