Trial begins for law requiring at least one woman to serve on California board
LOS ANGELES (KYMA, KECY) - A California state law that requires publicly traded companies in the state to have one member who identifies as a woman on their boards of directors goes to trial Wednesday.
A judge will begin hearing evidence in Los Angeles Superior Court that could undo the law credited with giving more women seats in boardrooms traditionally dominated by men which has spurred other states to adopt or consider similar laws.
The conservative legal group, Judicial Watch, brought the lawsuit claiming it’s illegal to use taxpayer funds to enforce a law that violates the equal protection clause of the california constitution by mandating a gender-based quota.
Another conservative legal group has filed a separate lawsuit in federal court claiming the law violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Fewer than half the nearly 650 applicable corporations in the state reported last year that they had complied. No companies have been fined, though the secretary of state can do so.
