Judicial Watch Victory: California Court Rules Taxpayer Lawsuit Against Gender Quotas for Corporate Boards May Go Forward

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Judicial Watch

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that a California court authorized a taxpayer lawsuit to move forward against a California law that mandates gender quotas for corporate boards. The court held that Judicial Watch’s clients have standing to sue under state law. Judicial Watch attorneys will now proceed to discovery, including depositions of various officials.

This action comes in the case (Robin Crest et al. v. Alex Padilla (No.19ST-CV-27561). Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit on August 6, 2019, on behalf of three California taxpayers to prevent the State from implementing Senate Bill 826. The 2018 law requires publicly held corporations headquartered in California to have at least one director “who self-identifies her gender as a woman” on their boards by December 31, 2019. Up to three such persons are required by December 31, 2021, depending on the size of the board. The lawsuit alleges that the mandate is an unconstitutional gender-based quota.