Posted on June 13, 2011

State Court OKs Suit to Study Bar Exam Results

Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, June 12, 2011

The public has a right of access to State Bar records that don’t reveal private information, a state appeals court ruled Friday in reinstating a suit by a law professor who wants to study bar exam results to test his thesis that affirmative action hurts minorities.

UCLA Professor Richard Sander’s request for the data drew support from organizations unconnected to his research quest, including The Chronicle and other news media. {snip}

Sander has theorized that preferential admissions policies place some minorities in top law schools where they are unable to compete effectively, decreasing their chances of passing the bar and becoming lawyers. {snip}