NYSBA Leaders Meet With Congressional Representatives

NYSBA Leaders Meet With Congressional Representatives

3.31.2026

By Matthew Pennello

New York State Bar Association President Kathleen Sweet was joined by President-Elect Taa Grays, former association presidents T. Andrew Brown and Stephen P. Younger, NYSBA Executive Committee member and American Bar Association Governor Vincent Chang, and NYSBA Federal Policy Consultant Hilary Jochmans during ABA lobby days.

They met with Representatives Jerry Nadler, Laura Gillen, Adriano Espaillat, John Mannion, and Paul Tonko, in addition to the counsels for Democratic Leader Senator Schumer and staffs of Representatives Nicole Malliotakis, Claudia Tenney, and Tim Kennedy. Sweet also met with members of the Congressional delegation and their staffs in early March including Representatives Grace Meng and Mike Lawler, and the policy staffers for Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

The meetings on March 25 and 26 focused in part on the proposed Department of Justice rule that would exempt DOJ attorneys from the normal process of investigation and discipline by independent bar associations. They also discussed support for funding for the Legal Services Corporation and the rest of the association’s federal priorities including common-sense gun reform legislation, voting rights protections, student loan relief and access to counsel in immigration proceedings.  A full list of the 2026 priorities can be found here.

The meetings were timely as the comment period for the proposed federal DOJ rule is open only until April 6.  Sweet submitted comments on March 24. She has also encouraged all NYSBA members to submit comments. Given the national implications of this proposed rule, the NYSBA team met with Representative Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee and his staff, along with Representative Joe Neguse, assistant Democratic leader and House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force co-chair, to discuss the impending rule.  They share Sweet’s outrage on the rule and will be reviewing the situation.