Lawyers with foul mouths in the courtroom could face penalties if they harass opposing counsel.
The American Bar Association passed a measure Monday afternoon that would prohibit lawyers from making comments targeting a person’s race, religion, sex, disability and other factors, the New York Times reports. It is the first such national ethics rule in the legal profession.
Critics of the broad rule say that it would impair a lawyer’s free speech in representing a client, but the American Bar Association says the rule comes with some stipulations: offensive conduct is banned only if the lawyer knows or reasonably should know it is harassment or discrimination, according to the Times.
The ruling came at the bar association’s national meeting in San Francisco, during a time when a national conversation has begun around the challenges faced by many female lawyers.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Introducing the 2024 TIME100 Next
- The Reinvention of J.D. Vance
- How to Survive Election Season Without Losing Your Mind
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Scams
- Did the Pandemic Break Our Brains?
- The Many Lives of Jack Antonoff
- 33 True Crime Documentaries That Shaped the Genre
- Why Gut Health Issues Are More Common in Women
Contact us at letters@time.com