the federal interpretation of “marriage” and “spouse” to apply only to opposite-sex unions is unconstitutional; and Matter of Brooke S.D. vs. Elizabeth A.C.C., in support of the plaintiff who sought custody and visitation of the son of the respondent after a same-sex partnership ended. WBASNY has actively encouraged its members to support organizations and endeavors that advance the interests of women. WBASNY is a charter member of Judges and Lawyers’ Breast Cancer Alert (JALBCA). Founded in March 1992, JALBCA is an organized effort inspired by the death of the Hon. Sybil Hart Kooper from breast cancer and dedicated to the elimination of this common cancer among American women. In October 1992, WBASNY, as a member of JALBCA, organized the first “Courthouse Alert.” The “Alert,” which operated out of courthouses throughout the state, involved volunteers distributing literature, scheduling mammograms, and informing the public about breast cancer screening facilities and services. To ease the economic impact of cutbacks in legalservices funding for the indigent, the majority of whom are women and children, WBASNY organized a Pro Bono Domestic Violence Project in 1996. The project was inspired by a private, independent, not-for-profit legal services organization started by the Capital District chapter in 1995. The program received the NCWBA Public Service Award in 2011. Thirty volunteers and a group of experienced attorney mentors participated in establishing the project and providing pro bono representation to victims of domestic violence at every stage of the legal process. In 2016, Jacqueline Flug and Claire P. Gutekunst, the respective presidents of WBASNY and the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), embarked on a joint Domestic Violence Initiative to enhance access to legal services by victims of domestic violence. The initiative produced a five-credit continuing legal education (CLE) program that was presented by a faculty of experts in domestic violence, videotaped at NYSBA’s headquarters in Albany, publicized by both NYSBA and WBASNY, and offered at no charge to members and non-members of NYSBA and WBASNY. Members from chapters across the state contribute their time and expertise on such substantive law committees as Criminal Law, Domestic Violence, Elder Law/Trusts & Estates, Environmental Law, Equal Opportunity in the Profession, Family and Matrimonial Law, Health Law & Reproductive Rights, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment Law, and International Women’s Rights. For example, in 2017, WBASNY’s Committee on Equal Opportunity in the Profession provided written testimony to New York State Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon on wage equality. WBASNY publishes articles on substantive law, sponsors U.S. Supreme Court bar admissions for its members, and offers substantive CLE seminars throughout the year. WBASNY’s numerous awards acknowledge the significant contributions of women lawyers to the profession, WBASNY, and the community. In 1985, the annual Joan Ellenbogen
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Award, later renamed at Ellenbogen’s insistence as the Founders’ Award, was established. This award honors women of outstanding achievement who have made significant contributions to the profession. The first recipient was the Hon. Betty Weinberg Ellerin, a past president of the National Association of Women Judges, WBASNY, and the New York chapter, and the first woman to serve on the Appellate Division in New York state. In 1988, WBASNY created an annual service award to honor a WBASNY member who made significant contributions to WBASNY. The award was named after Marilyn Menge, from the Capital District chapter. Menge chaired the WBASNY Legislation Committee for two years and served as WBASNY’s secretary and vice president. During her term as secretary, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Despite receiving frequent chemotherapy treatments, she never missed completing a set of minutes. Menge was remarkable, not only for her tireless work, but also for her exceptional diplomacy and consensus-building skills. The first recipient of the Marilyn Menge Award was Marjorie Karowe in 1988. In 1996, WBASNY gave its first Pro Bono Award to Hannah S. Cohn of Rochester. The award acknowledges a WBASNY member who makes significant contributions to the provision of pro bono legal services to the community in which she practices. And in 1995, the Hon. Marie Santagata from Nassau received WBASNY’s first Lifetime Achievement Award. WBASNY recognizes the successes of women who have been appointed or elected to public office. On May 4, 1993, WBASNY joined Gov. Mario Cuomo to celebrate the appointment of the state’s first woman chief judge, the Hon. Judith S. Kaye. The event was also the first WBASNY reception to recognize the many contributions by the elected women of the New York State Senate and Assembly. A second WBASNY reception for the women in the Legislature was held on June 7, 1994, also co-sponsored with the governor. The honorees included the Hon. Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick, who was newly appointed to the Court of Appeals, and the Hon. Karen Peters, who was newly appointed as the first woman judge to the Appellate Division, Third Department. Similarly, WBASNY’s nominee, the Hon. Betty Weinberg Ellerin, received the American Bar Association’s 1993 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. Ellerin, a WBASNY founder, has worked relentlessly for the equality of women in the profession and has actively assisted many women in their quest to attain judicial office. WBASNY established the Betty Weinberg Ellerin Mentor Award in her honor, and on April 4, 2019, WBASNY sponsored a gala celebration of Ellerin’s 90th birthday. The event drew judges, attorneys, and public officials from throughout the state. Today, decades after the publication of The Task Force Report on Women in the Courts, women have advanced to the highest echelons of the profession. Four women have been appointed to the highest court in the country, the U.S. Supreme Court: the Hon. Sandra Day O’Connor, the Hon. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Hon. Elena Kagan, and the Hon. Sonia Sotomayor. Several women have also been appointed
