News & Analysis as of

Corporate Governance Board of Directors Constitutional Challenges

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

DEI Under Scrutiny, Part XII: Scope of Pending Legal Challenge to Nasdaq’s Diversity Rule Narrows

On July 25, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) notified the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that at least part of the basis for the currently pending legal attack on the Nasdaq’s proposed...more

Fenwick & West LLP

The Future of DEI Shareholder Proposals

Fenwick & West LLP on

Following the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests against racial inequity in 2020, many companies increased their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), as well as their external...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Fifth Circuit Upholds Nasdaq Board Diversity Rule

Holland & Knight LLP on

Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld Nasdaq's board diversity rule, which the SEC first approved in August 2021 and was then challenged as unconstitutionally discriminatory and an improper...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

Los Angeles County Trial Court Strikes Down Another California Board Diversity Law

CDF Labor Law LLP on

Last month, on May 13, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis ruled that SB 826, which requires publicly held California corporations with a principal executive office in California to follow gender...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

California Courts Strike Down Laws Requiring More Women and Diversity on Boards

The California courts have cast doubt on the legality of laws mandating the number of women and individuals from “underrepresented communities” on the boards of directors of publicly traded corporations based in California....more

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

UPDATE: California Court Says Second State Board Diversity Law Is Unconstitutional

California courts have now struck down the second of the state’s two board diversity laws as unconstitutional.  The recent decision affects California's gender diversity requirement for certain boards of directors.  In April,...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Los Angeles Superior Court Invalidates California Law Requiring Gender Diversity on Company Boards

In Crest v. Padilla, No. 19STCV27561, 2022 WL 1565613 (Cal. Super. May 13, 2022), the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles (Duffy-Lewis, J.) issued a decision following a bench trial finding that Senate...more

Mayer Brown Free Writings + Perspectives

California Board Diversity Laws Struck Down by Court

In a little over a month’s time, the Superior Court of California (the “Superior Court”) struck down both AB 979 and SB 826, California’s two board diversity statutes. SB 826 required that a public company whose principal...more

Goodwin

California Law Requiring Female Directors on Public Company Boards Held Unconstitutional

Goodwin on

Ruling Follows Similar Decision on Underrepresented Minority Directors in April 2022 - A California court has held that California Senate Bill 826, which required that “publicly held” corporations that listed a California...more

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Court Finds California Board Gender Diversity Statute Unconstitutional

On May 13, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, issued a verdict following a bench trial that effectively struck down SB 826, a California statute requiring the boards of public corporations based in the...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

California Gender Board Diversity Law Is Held Unconstitutional

Latham & Watkins LLP on

The law suffers the same fate as the California board diversity law requiring directors from “underrepresented communities.” On May 13, 2022, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis issued a ruling in Crest...more

Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth

Recent Ruling Impacts California’s AB 979 Effort to Mandate “Underrepresented Community” Board Members

California’s Assembly Bill 979 (California Corporations Code § 301.4) was signed into law in September 2020 and requires public corporations with principal executive offices in the state to include a specific number of people...more

Littler

Corporate Board Diversity: Next Steps for Employers After Court Strikes Down California Board Diversity Law

Littler on

On April 1, 2022, a Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled that California Assembly Bill 979—a bill designed to increase diversity and improve the persistently low number of underrepresented groups on corporate...more

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

California Court Rules State Board Diversity Requirement Unconstitutional — Where Do We Go From Here?

Earlier this month, a Los Angeles County Superior Court order put the brakes on one of California’s much contested board diversity requirements, a decision certain to reverberate among the business community and efforts to...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

Judge Holds CA BOD Diversity Law Violates Equal Protection Laws

CDF Labor Law LLP on

On April 1, 2022, a Los Angeles County judge ruled that AB 979, which requires publicly held corporations with a principal executive office in California to have at least one member of the Board of Directors from an...more

Proskauer - California Employment Law

Court Declares California Law Requiring Diverse Corporate Boards Unconstitutional

As discussed in our previous blog, on April 1, 2022, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Terry Green, granted summary judgment in favor of individuals represented by D.C.-based nonprofit Judicial Watch, declaring Assembly Bill...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

California’s Board Diversity Law Tossed by Judge; Other Board Diversity Efforts Continue

On April 1, 2022, Judge Terry Green of the Los Angeles Superior Court struck down California’s AB 979, which required publicly held companies based in California to have at least one board director from an “underrepresented...more

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

California’s Board Diversity Law Held Unconstitutional

Assembly Bill 979 (the Bill), signed into law by Gov. Newsom on September 30, 2020, required all public companies with a principal executive office in California to have at least one director from an underrepresented...more

Proskauer - Corporate Defense and Disputes

Court Invalidates California Board-Diversity Statute

A California court invalidated a state law requiring that boards of directors of public companies based in California include members from under-represented groups, including persons of several races and ethnic groups and...more

Cooley LLP

Another complaint filed against California board diversity statutes

Cooley LLP on

Yesterday, yet another complaint was filed in federal district court charging that California’s board diversity statutes, SB 826 and AB 979, are unconstitutional under the equal protection provisions of the 14th Amendment. ...more

Allen Matkins

Will This Proposed Law Discriminate Against Minority Males And Non-Binary Persons?

Allen Matkins on

In 2018, California enacted legislation, SB 826 (Jackson), mandating that publicly held corporations with their principal executive offices in California have a minimum number of female directors.... The legislature is now...more

Allen Matkins

First Legal Test Of Female Board Quota Law Will Be On Monday

Allen Matkins on

Last August, I reported on the filing of a taxpayer challenge to California's Board Gender Quota Law. Crest v. Padilla, Cal. Super. Ct. Case No. 19STCV27561. California's Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, was named as the...more

Allen Matkins

Bill Threatens Further Obfuscation Of California's Board Quota Law

Allen Matkins on

Two years ago, California State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson introduced a bill imposing gender quotas on publicly held domestic or foreign corporations having their principal executive offices in California. Then Governor...more

Allen Matkins

What Happens When Directors Elected By The Shareholders Are Not A Majority?

Allen Matkins on

Section 305(a) of the California Corporations Code empowers a board of directors to fill vacancies with two important exceptions. First, the articles of incorporation or bylaws may provide otherwise. Second, the board may...more

Allen Matkins

Professor Bainbridge Asks "Would They Have Standing?"

Allen Matkins on

As has been widely noted, the constitutionality of SB 826, California's new gender quota law, is questionable. It remains to be seen who will bring the challenge and where. Yesterday, Professor Stephen Bainbridge raised the...more

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