New York State Bar Association President Commends State Court System for Expanded Anti-Bias and Discrimination Training
12.21.2023
Richard Lewis, president of the New York State Bar Association, released the following statement about the New York Unified Court System’s announcement that it has added new components to its continued efforts to combat bias and identity-based hate, adding new training programs to address antisemitism, hate crimes, and Islamophobia.
“In the face of a disturbing rise in hate crimes in the wake of the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and the subsequent ongoing war, we are heartened to see the Unified Court System expand its efforts to educate the judiciary and ensure equity and inclusion in New York’s legal system. No one in our state’s courts should be discriminated against. Antisemitism – the first focus of this updated training program – is the world’s oldest hatred. It cannot be accurately called out, identified, and ultimately halted unless individuals are truly informed about the long and terrible history of persecution and prejudice.
I thank Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas for taking this bold step to ensure the safety of court personnel and the public and for sharing information on this new program as the Bar Association considers changes to its own training requirements.”
