Ellen Yacknin files on the Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley v. City Assessor, City of Rochester court case, 1991-1994, bulk 1992-1993

Summary

Abstract:
This collection consists of materials collected by Ellen M. Yacknin in her position as legal counsel to the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley during the case of Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley v. City Assessor, City of Rochester. The materials date between 1991 and 1994. They include Yacknin's personal correspondence on the case, legal briefs and other court documents, and newspaper clippings.
Extent:
.289 Cubic Feet and .434 Cubic Feet
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Ellen Yacknin Files on the Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley v. City Assessor, City of Rochester Court Case. [2019.044]. Local History and Genealogy Division, Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County N.Y.

Background

Scope and content:

Ellen Yacknin is an attorney and judge who has served in several positions in the Rochester, N. Y. area. This collection consists of materials created or collected in her position as attorney for the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley in the case of Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley v. City Assessor, City of Rochester between 1991 and 1994. Yacknin served as counsel to the Gay Alliance throughout the case, and much of the material consists of her correspondence and legal briefs that she wrote. The materials also include newspaper clippings, legal briefs from the defense, and court documents.

Biographical / historical:

Ellen Yacknin attended Grinnell College, graduating in 1974, before graduating with her J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1977. She passed the bar in Pennsylvania in 1977 before going on to serve in a number of positions as attorney and law clerk from 1977 to 1989. In 1989, she became Senior Health Care and Litigation Attorney, Greater Upstate Law Project, Inc., a position she held until 2002. It was during this time that she represented the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley in their case against the City Assessor of the City of Rochester. In 2002, Ellen Yacknin was elected Judge of the Rochester City Court. She was reelected in 2013, a position she will hold until 2022. She also volunteers with Rochester Teen Court and the Trial Moot Court programs of the Boy Scouts and Cornell Law School.

The case of the Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley v. City Assessor, City of Rochester came out of the March 1991 decision by Rochester's City Assessor to deny the Gay Alliance a property tax exemption (the organization received its Federal examption on November 19, 1981). The Assessor's office decided that the Gay Alliance was an advocacy group and, therefore, not eligible for a tax exemption as an educational organization. The Gay Alliance, with Ellen Yacknin as counsel, sued the City of Rochester, claiming that it was being discriminated against due to, in the words of Judge Andrew V. Siracuse, "membership and focus." The court case would take over two years to resolve, including appeals. Finally, on April 6, 1993, Judge Siracuse decided against the City of Rochester, stating that the denial of the property tax examption by the City of Rochester was an act of discrimination and that the City must grant the examption to the Gay Alliance.

Acquisition information:
Transferred to the Rochester Public Library from the Out Alliance, 2019. Gift of Ellen Yacknin to the Out Alliance, 2019.
Processing information:

This collection was received in original order, which was maintained in processing. Folders were replaced with acid-free units, but processing otherwise followed More Product, Less Process standards.

Arrangement:

This collection consists of a single box.

Physical description:
Good overall, with some documents showing light handling wear.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the collection.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use in any current or future manifestations must be obtained in writing from the Rochester Public Library Local History and Genealogy Division.

Preferred citation:

Ellen Yacknin Files on the Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley v. City Assessor, City of Rochester Court Case. [2019.044]. Local History and Genealogy Division, Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County N.Y.

Location of this collection:
Rundel Memorial Building
115 South Avenue
Rochester, NY 14604, United States
Link to repository site
Contact:
585-428-8370
lochist@libraryweb.org