CA SR46

Calls for posthumous admission of Hong Yen Chang to the State Bar of California to remedy the injustice of his 1890 denial based on discriminatory laws

Hong Yen Chang was the first Chinese immigrant to earn a law degree in the United States, graduating from Columbia Law School in 1886 and becoming admitted to the New York State Bar in 1887

The California Supreme Court denied his bar admission in 1890 on grounds that his naturalization certificate was void and federal law barred Chinese immigrants from naturalizing

His case occurred during the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese immigration and made Chinese residents ineligible for naturalization, and when the California Constitution restricted rights of Chinese residents

The resolution emphasizes the legal profession's commitment to justice, diversity, and inclusion by acknowledging this historical discrimination against Chang