COLPA was founded by Dr.
Marvin Schick in 1965, According to Schick, the organization grew out of a discussion between himself, Sherer, and Reuben Gross, a prominent Orthodox attorney. In 1976, COLPA filed a brief to the Supreme Court authored by Lewin, then a COLPA vice president, supporting a 1972 amendment to the
1964 Civil Rights Act requiring employers to make “reasonable accommodation” for religious observances of employees. Also in 1976, COLPA negotiated a historic policy with the
Federal Bureau of Prisons guaranteeing kosher meals for Jewish inmates nationwide. In 1985, COLPA attorneys represented Rabbi Simcha Goldman in a legal battle to overturn a ban on the wearing of yarmulkes by military on duty. Following a defeat in
Goldman v. Weinberger, COLPA drafted a bill to overturn the Supreme Court's decision and allow the wearing of yarmulkes which was passed Congress and was signed into law in 1988. ==References==