Bar Exam Scores A Matter Of Public Interest.

Plaintiffs requested the State Bar provide them access to information contained in its bar admissions database, including applicants’ bar exam scores, law school attended, grade point averages, LSAT scores, and race or ethnicity “in order to conduct research on racial and ethnic disparities in bar passage rates and law school grades.” The California Supreme Court held: “We conclude that under the common law right of public access, there is a sufficient public interest in the information contained in the admissions database such that the State Bar is required to provide access to it if the information can be provided in a form that protects the privacy of applicants and if no countervailing interest outweighs the public’s interest in disclosure.” (Sander v. State Bar of California (Cal. Sup. Ct.; December 19, 2013.) 58 Cal.4th 300, [314 P.3d 488; 165 Cal.Rptr.3d 250].)