Declaring itself unequivocally opposed to the introduction of the racial principle in the legal profession the Union of Bar Associations for the whole of Austria today adopted a resolution calling for the preservation of status quo as regards admission into the bar associations, and also as regards the general set-up of these bodies.
This action came as a result of reports emanating from authoritative sources that the government was contemplating division of the present bar associations into two separate bodies, one for the “Aryans” and one for “non-Aryans.”
THE GOVERNMENT PLAN
The government had also indicated that it desired a change in the method of electing members to the executive councils of the bar associations, and that instead of the previous system of direct elections, it would call for the substitution of a system of nominations subject to official approval of the candidates.
This was interpreted as being a direct move against the Jews, who form a majority of lawyers engaged in the legal profession in Vienna. Officially, however, it would appear that it was merely desired to exclude those lawyers who had migrated into Austria from the secession States after the War.
In its resolution, the Bar Associations rejected any such action on the part of the government, and demanded that no distinction be made between the members of the bar already engaged in the profession in Austria.
The resolution also demands a continuation of the present democratic character of the Bar Associations.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
