CITY BAR ASSOCIATION TO HOST HEARING OF NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

Panel to Examine Regional Record of Discrimination in Voting

When: Tuesday, June 14, 2005; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: House of the Association, 42 West 44th Street.

The City Bar Association is co-sponsoring a day-long hearing of the National Commission on the Voting Rights Act on June 14. The hearing will be held at the Association, located at 42 West 44th Street, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is the most important safeguard for inclusion of minority communities in the political process. Core provisions of the Act are scheduled to expire in August 2007. As members of Congress begin the process of reauthorizing the expiring provisions, they will examine the record of discrimination in voting.

Debunking myths, dispelling urban legends, and listening to the impact of the Act on the Northeast region, the New York hearings will draw participants from New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and Connecticut. The testimony will be part of a comprehensive report detailing discrimination in voting since the last Voting Rights Act reauthorization in 1982. The National Commission on the Voting Rights Act is chaired by New York native Bill Lann Lee, the former assistant attorney general for civil rights and the first Chinese-American to hold a sub-cabinet position.

The non-partisan Commission is documenting stories of discrimination in voting from around the country, probing all the issues affected by the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act; from issues as diverse as language assistance for Native American, Hispanic and Asian American voters to the role of the Department of Justice in protecting minority voters. A report will be released later this year.

Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, noted that the collective voices of voters will be critical to preserving the power and impact of the Voting Rights Act. “We hope the New York hearing will be a forum for voters to share experiences that will be part of a public record. We are all stakeholders in the results.” For additional information or to schedule an interview with Barbara Arnwine or Commission members, contact Matt Kovary at (212) 382-6713, or Tiana Allen at (202) 833-9771.

About the Association
The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (www.nycbar.org) was founded in 1870, and since then has been dedicated to maintaining the high ethical standards of the profession, promoting reform of the law, and providing service to the profession and the public.