LOS ANGELES—A California law requiring increased membership by women on corporate boards is unconstitutional and violates the right to equal treatment, a Los Angeles judge ruled.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis issued her ruling Friday, three months after she heard final arguments in a lengthy non-jury trial regarding Senate Bill (SB) 826 that began in December.
Passed in 2018, the law applies to publicly held corporations with principal executive offices located in California and required them to have at least one female director on the board by the close of 2019. Additionally, by the end of 2021, some boards were required to have additional female directors based on the size of the board.