City Bar Association Backs Con Con (NY State of Politics)
NY State of Politics, June 14, 2017
City Bar Association Backs Con Con
“The New York City Bar Association on Wednesday endorsed the holding of a Constitutional Convention, a referendum that will go before voters this November. The Bar Association was acting on the recommendations of a task force assembled on the potential for a convention. But the report issued by the organization isn’t a full-blown endorsement of the mechanics of the convention itself, which the group called “flawed” even if it can address structural problems in state government. ‘We know that there is no guarantee that a convention whose delegate selection processes are flawed will address and correct the endemic problems of our State government,’ the report states. ‘We also recognize that any risk to cherished constitutional protections is deeply concerning to members of the bar who work tirelessly on behalf of low-income individuals, and those concerns should be given significant weight. But, upon hearing, considering and deliberating the overall pros and cons of holding a convention, and taking into account longstanding City Bar positions, we have ultimately concluded that the potential benefits – primarily in the areas of government ethics, suffrage and judiciary reform – outweigh the potential risks.’”
