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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 17 May 2022
Judge: California’s women on boards law is unconstitutional

By BRIAN MELLEY law, also known by its bill
Associated Press number, SB826, called for
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los penalties ranging from
Angeles judge has ruled $100,000 fines for failing to
that California’s landmark report board compositions
law requiring women on to the California secretary
corporate boards is uncon- of state’s office to $300,000
stitutional. for multiple failures to have
Superior Court Judge Mau- the required number of
reen Duffy-Lewis said the women board members.
law that would have re- Fewer than half the nearly
quired boards have up to 650 applicable corpora-
three female directors by tions in the state reported
this year violated the right last year that they had
to equal treatment. The rul- complied. More than half
ing was dated Friday. didn’t file the required dis-
The conservative legal closure statement, accord-
group Judicial Watch had ing to the most recent re-
challenged the law, claim- port.
ing it was illegal to use tax- Supporters of the law
payer funds to enforce a hailed it for achieving more
law that violates the equal Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, CEO of 50/50 Women on Boards, is seen in the Tom Bradley Conference gains for women. Other
protection clause of the Room at City Club LA in downtown Los Angeles on Sept. 3, 2021. states followed California’s
California Constitution Associated Press lead. Washington state
by mandating a gender- passed a similar measure
based quota. in corporate boardrooms. report or comply with the or enforce the fine would last year, and lawmakers in
The law was on shaky The state defended the law, a chief in the secretary likely exceed its authority,” Massachusetts, New Jersey
ground from the get-go law as constitutional say- of state’s office acknowl- Padilla wrote. and Hawaii proposed simi-
with a legislative analysis ing it was necessary to re- edged during the trial that The law required publicly lar bills. Illinois requires pub-
saying it could be difficult verse a culture of discrimi- it was toothless. held companies head- licly traded companies to
to defend and then-Gov. nation that favored men No fines have ever been quartered in California to report the makeup of their
Jerry Brown saying he was and was put in place only levied and there was no in- have one member who boards.
signing it despite the po- after other measures failed. tention to do so, Betsy Bog- identifies as a woman on Deputy Attorney General
tential for it to be over- The state also said the law art testified. Further, a letter their boards of directors by Ashante Norton said alter-
turned by a court. Brown didn’t create a quota be- that surfaced during trial the end of 2019. By Janu- natives to a law mandat-
said he signed the bill to cause boards could add from former Secretary of ary 2022, boards with five ing seats for women had
send a message during the seats for female directors State Alex Padilla warned directors were required been tried in California to
#MeToo era. without stripping men of Brown weeks before he to have two women and no avail. In 2013, for exam-
In the three years it has their positions. signed the law that it was boards with six or more ple, the Legislature passed
been on the books, it’s Although the law carried probably unenforceable. members were required to a resolution to get compa-
been credited with improv- potential hefty penalties “Any attempt by the sec- have three women. nies to add women to their
ing the standing of women for failing to file an annual retary of state to collect The Women on Boards boards, but few did.q

Justices limit federal court review of

some deportations

even though Georgia law citizenship status. The judge joined with the court’s three
entitled a noncitizen in Pa- ordered Patel and his wife liberal justices in dissent. “As
tel’s situation to a license deported. a result, no court may cor-
to drive. Patel and his wife, Justice Amy Coney Barrett rect even the agency’s
Jyotsnaben, concede they wrote for five conservative most egregious factual
entered the U.S. illegally justices that federal courts mistakes about an individ-
roughly 30 years ago since can’t review such decisions ual’s statutory eligibility for
An American flag waves in front of the Supreme Court building, leaving their native India. under immigration law. The relief,” Gorsuch wrote, not-
Nov. 2, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. In 2007, Patel applied for a U.S. attorney general can ing the agency itself sided
Associated Press
“green card,” legal perma- grant protection from de- with Patel at the Supreme
By MARK SHERMAN The court ruled 5-4 against nent residency status, with portation, but people must Court.
Associated Press Georgia resident Pankaj- the support of his employ- first be eligible and the While the high-court case
WASHINGTON (AP) — A kumar Patel, who checked er. The Patels have three result of the immigration dealt with deportation,
sharply divided Supreme a box indicating he was a children. One is a U.S. citi- judge’s decision was that Gorsuch wrote that the de-
Court on Monday ruled U.S. citizen when renewing zen and the other two are Patel was ineligible. cision could foreclose court
that federal courts are his Georgia driver’s license green-card holders who “Federal courts have a review when immigration
powerless to review immi- in 2008. are married to Americans. very limited role to play in officials make errors of fact
gration officials’ decisions An immigration judge, who But Patel’s quest for legal this process,” Barrett wrote in other contexts, “the stu-
in some deportation cas- is a Justice Department status foundered on the li- concluding that immigra- dent hoping to remain in
es, even when they have employee, concluded Pa- cense application, and the tion law “precludes judicial the country, the foreigner
made what a dissenting tel intended to misrepre- immigration judge’s deci- review of factual findings who marries a U. S. citizen,
justice called “egregious sent his status for the pur- sion that Patel had inten- that underlie a denial of the skilled worker spon-
factual mistakes.” pose of getting his license, tionally misrepresented his relief.” Justice Neil Gorsuch sored by her employer.” q