Born to counter corruption and support good government, the City Bar has never ceased its focus on its mission. Shortly after its founding, the City Bar launched its Judiciary Committee to evaluate candidates for election or appointment to judicial office and other offices connected with the administration of justice in state and federal courts in New York City. In 1871 and 1930, judges were indicted or removed following City Bar investigations. In 1873, the Association called for a constitutional amendment to return to judicial appointments instead of elections, and has supported the idea ever since. In 1955, the City Bar’s report “Bad Housekeeping” documented the poor administration of New York State courts, which is believed to have led to the creation of the Judicial Conference, headed by the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and charged with administering the courts in an efficient and responsible way. In 1988, the City Bar formed its Committee on Government Ethics. In 2019, the City Bar’s newly formed Task Force on the Rule of Law issued a statement calling on the Attorney General of the United States to recuse himself from the Department of Justice review of the Ukraine matter.

These young City Bar members suggested “that the City Bar sponsor a public-interest law firm to be staffed with salaried attorneys and funded by levies drawn on the large firms,” and in 1976, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) was founded to “increase legal services to the poor through screening and channeling public law opportunities to participating large law firms.” Among its founders were three City Bar Presidents: Cyrus R. Vance, Sr. (1974-76), Adrian W. Dewind (1976-1978), and Francis T.P. Plimpton (1968-70).

While these milestones are cause for pride and celebration as we mark the City Bar’s 150^th anniversary, we should acknowledge that diversity is an area in which the City Bar was not a leader for much of its history.

In 1962, a City Bar report on “Mental Illness and Due Process” led directly to state legislation safeguarding the rights of mentally ill patients to be treated as a sick person first and a legal problem second. In 1986, the City Bar formed its Committee on Drugs & the Law, which in 1994 released its landmark report, “A Wiser Course: Ending Drug Prohibition,” describing unintended consequences of drug prohibition policy.