New York S 9766: Relates to making technical corrections to ensure gender neutrality for the admission to practice law and preventing required disclosure of prior interaction with law enforcement or the criminal justice system

Bill Text

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S09766 Summary:

BILL NOS09766 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A03234

&nbsp

SPONSORSEPULVEDA

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd RR9401, 9403, 9404, 9405 & 9406, CPLR

&nbsp

Relates to making technical corrections to ensure gender neutrality for the admission to practice law and preventing the character fitness questionnaire from inquiring into an applicant's prior interaction with law enforcement or the criminal justice system under certain circumstances.

Go to top S09766 Actions:

BILL NOS09766 

&nbsp

04/06/2026REFERRED TO JUDICIARY

04/21/20261ST REPORT CAL.752

04/22/20262ND REPORT CAL.

04/27/2026ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 

06/01/2026PASSED SENATE

06/01/2026DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY

06/01/2026referred to judiciary

Go to topS09766 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS09766 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS09766 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 9766

 IN SENATE

 April 6, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary

 AN ACT to amend the civil practice law and rules, in relation to making
 technical corrections to ensure gender neutrality for the admission to
 practice law and preventing any required disclosure of prior inter-
 action with law enforcement or the criminal justice system under
 certain circumstances

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Rule 9401 of the civil practice law and rules is amended to
 2 read as follows:
 3 Rule 9401. Committee. The appellate division in each judicial depart-
 4 ment shall appoint a committee of not less than three practicing lawyers
 5 for each judicial district within the department, for the purpose of
 6 investigating the character and fitness of every applicant for admission
 7 to practice as an attorney and counselor at law in the courts of this
 8 state. Each member of such committee shall serve until [his] the
 9 member's death, resignation or the appointment of [his] the member's
 10 successor. A lawyer who has been or who shall be appointed a member of
 11 the committee for one district may be appointed a member of the commit-
 12 tee for another district within the same department.
 13 § 2. The opening paragraph and subdivision 1 of rule 9403 of the civil
 14 practice law and rules, as amended by chapter 226 of the laws of 1985,
 15 are amended to read as follows:
 16 Notwithstanding rule 9402, any application for admission to practice
 17 pending before a committee, may be referred to the committee for another
 18 judicial district in the same or another department by order or direc-
 19 tion of the presiding justice of the appellate division of the depart-
 20 ment embracing the district in which the application is pending. Such
 21 order or direction may be made only upon the written request of the
 22 [chairman] chairperson or acting [chairman] chairperson of the committee
 23 before which the application is pending and only upon [his] the chair-
 24 person or acting chairperson's written certification either:
 25 1. that the applicant, since [he] they applied to take the bar exam-
 26 ination or to dispense with such examination or since [he] they applied
 27 on motion to be admitted to practice, has changed [his] their actual
 28 residence to such other judicial district in the same or other depart-

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD06579-01-5

 S. 9766 2

 1 ment, or, if not a resident of the state, has acquired full-time employ-
 2 ment in or changed [his] their place of full-time employment to such
 3 other judicial district in the same or other department; or
 4 § 3. Rule 9404 of the civil practice law and rules, as amended by
 5 judicial conference proposal number 7 for the year 1973, is amended to
 6 read as follows:
 7 Rule 9404. Certificate of character and fitness. Unless otherwise
 8 ordered by the appellate division, no person shall be admitted to prac-
 9 tice without a certificate from the proper committee that it has care-
 10 fully investigated the character and fitness of the applicant and that,
 11 in such re