
A California law requiring more diversity on company boards is unconstitutional, judge rules
CNN
A judge in Los Angeles has ruled a law requiring public companies headquartered in California to diversify their boards violates the state's constitution, court documents show.
On Friday, Judge Terry Green of Los Angeles County Superior Court sided with Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group that filed a lawsuit arguing the measure violates the equal protection clause of California's constitution.
The law, Assembly Bill 979, was signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020 and was part of the state's efforts to address racial disparities in the workplace. It required companies to have at least one board member from an underrepresented community by the end of 2021 and at least two or three -- depending on the board's size -- by the end of 2022.