What's Up With the South Carolina Bar Exam?

As you know from our extensive coverage of Laptopgate, we follow bar exam controversies quite closely. So we can’t ignore what’s going on down in South Carolina (especially since we’ve been on a southern kick as of late, what with all our coverage of Emory Law School).
A very juicy possible scandal is brewing down in the Palmetto State. We believe the story was first broken by FITSNews. But for those of you who like your news sources older and more MSM-y, here’s an article from The State:

The state’s top court has changed the grades for 20 people — including the children of a prominent state lawmaker and a longtime circuit judge — who earlier flunked the test required to practice law in South Carolina.

The S.C. Supreme Court in last week’s order said the wills, trusts and estates section of the July exam would “not be considered” in determining a test-taker’s overall score, though the justices gave no reasons for their decision.

The students include the daughters of state Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Richland, chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee; and Circuit Judge Paul Burch of Pageland, The State confirmed Thursday in interviews with the two men.

More after the jump.


As with any controversy these days, all roads lead to Facebook:

[Rep. Harrison’s daughter Catherine] Harrison said comments Catherine posted on the Internet site Facebook regarding the “hard work” she and her friends had done to get their grades changed had been misinterpreted.

“We worked really hard last week to make this happen and I’m just relieved that it’s all over and I can move on” Catherine Harrison had posted recently.

Harrison said his daughter was referring not to any improper lobbying efforts, but to vigorous telephone and e-mail efforts to contact other students to discover if an unusual number of students had failed the section.

Here’s a screen cap of one Facebook exchange involving Catherine Harrison (whose name may be too close for comfort to “Katherine Harris,” another Queen of the Recount):

So how will this all shake out? Stay tuned. For more detail than you’d ever care to know, check out all of the links — and especially the comments appended to those posts — collected below.
P.S. Speaking of bar exams, congratulations to everyone who passed the bar in our home state of New Jersey! Now you can look forward to some of the most onerous CLE requirements in the country (which is why we keep our New York bar membership active instead of New Jersey).
State’s high court alters test results: 2 officials’ children among 20 who benefit [The State]
Bar Exam Flap Engulfs SC Legal Community [FITSNews]
S.C. Bar Exam Flap Continues [FITSNews]
Judge’s daughter aided by Supreme Court bar exam move [Greenville News]

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