More California bar examinees wrongly told they failed, state bar says
May 23 (Reuters) - Nine more people who were initially told they failed California's troubled February bar exam actually passed, the State Bar of California said in an email, opens new tab sent to test takers on Thursday, which Reuters reviewed.
Those errors were in addition to the four test takers whose status changed from fail to pass last week after scoring and grading problems were identified.
The mounting number of scoring mistakes is the latest problem to arise from the February test, which was marred by widespread technical and logistical problems including computer crashes and distracting proctors.
The February exam was the debut of California's hybrid remote and in-person test without the components of the national bar exam the state has used for decades — a change that was intended to save as much as $3.8 million annually. But addressing all its problems for the July exam is now expected to add nearly $6 million in costs.
The February exam had a 56% overall pass rate — far higher than the historical average of 35% — after the California Supreme Court allowed the state bar to implement a lower raw passing score because of all the exam's problems.
But many examinees have raised concerns over how their exams were graded and scored.
The state bar has sued testing platform Meazure Learning over the many tech problems, as have at least two groups of test takers. Meazure has said the state bar is trying to "shift the blame" for the flawed rollout of the test.
State Bar Executive Director Leah Wilson has said she will step down in July, citing the botched rollout of the new exam. During a state bar board of trustees meeting on Friday, Wilson said criticism of her handling of the bar exam is "appropriate and deserved" and that she will continue to address the problems through her last day on the job.
Read more:
California bar exam-takers were told they failed. Oops, they passed.
California scraps new bar exam for July, adjusts scores on botched February test
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
This hotel has been named best in the US — and one of the top 10 on the planet
The plaudits for Chicago keep coming. It was recently named the No.1 place in the US and seventh in the world for culture by Time Out. And now the Windy City can boast of being home to the best hotel in America — The Peninsula Chicago — with the property also making the global top 10. That's according to website which has just released its annual ranking of the best 1,000 hotels on the planet. The list is drawn up by a "sophisticated algorithm" that analyzes thousands of reviews, professional evaluations, and guest feedback. Properties that make the final selection are then assigned a score out of 100. which also produces an annual restaurant ranking, says: 'This selection represents hospitality excellence across three continents." The Peninsula Chicago tops the US list with a score of 99.5. Five US hotels all share the runners-up spot with scores of 98.5. They are the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego; L'Ermitage Beverly Hills; The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel in New York City; The Peninsula Beverly Hills; and The Setai, Miami Beach. A further five US hotels all receive 98 points to form a top 11 — Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Kailua-Kona; Hotel Bel-Air; the Montage Healdsburg in California; The Langham, Chicago; and Wynn Las Vegas. La Liste describes The Peninsula Chicago, located on the "prestigious" intersection of Michigan and Chicago avenues, as an "architectural statement piece that delivers Asian service philosophy within distinctly American spaces". It adds: "Its rooms — among the most technologically advanced in the world — offer intuitive automation that enhances rather than intrudes upon the guest experience." Also making the top 10 globally are La Réserve Paris, described as "a masterclass in discreet opulence"; The Connaught Hotel, London, "where heritage meets contemporary artistry"; The Savoy, London, "an enduring icon of British cultural identity"; Cheval Blanc Paris, a "masterpiece"; and Il San Pietro di Positano, Italy, a "miraculous feat of architecture". The other four are J.K. Place Capri, Marina Grande, Italy, "a masterly reimagining of the sophisticated Italian beach house"; Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, a "living legend of Asian hospitality"; The Peninsula Shanghai, "an architectural tour de force"; and Rosewood Mayakoba, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, "a symphony of limestone, water and indigenous wood". Philippe Faure, president and founder of La Liste, says: "Our algorithm doesn't lie. These establishments truly represent the pinnacle of global hospitality. 'Each transcends the simple concept of accommodation to offer a transformative experience to its guests." The top 11 hotels in the US for 2025 The Peninsula Chicago (99.5 out of 100) Fairmont Grand Del Mar, San Diego (98.5) L'Ermitage Beverly Hills (98.5) The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, New York City (98.5) The Peninsula Beverly Hills (98.5) The Setai, Miami Beach (98.5) Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Kailua-Kona (98) Hotel Bel-Air (98) The Montage Healdsburg, California (98) The Langham, Chicago (98) Wynn Las Vegas (98) The top 10 hotels in the world for 2025 The Peninsula Chicago La Réserve Paris The Connaught Hotel, London, UK The Savoy, London, UK Cheval Blanc Paris Il San Pietro di Positano, Positano, Italy J.K. Place Capri, Marina Grande, Italy Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, Thailand The Peninsula Shanghai, China Rosewood Mayakoba, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The powerful politician no one's heard of who can torpedo Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'
A rarely-talked-about, unelected bureaucrat within the Senate may have the power to tank President Donald Trump 's big beautiful bill. The Senate Parliamentarian, a position held by Elizabeth MacDonough since 2012, is about to weigh in on whether the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act runs afoul of the upper chamber's rules. The parliamentarian is more often than not an afterthought, typically because their role is to be the Senate's hall monitor, essentially making sure mundane processes on the floor are adhered to. However, the parliamentarian is thrust into the spotlight every time senators try to pass a bill through budget reconciliation, a process that allows the Senate to pass items with a simple majority instead of the usual 60 votes needed to overcome the filibuster. Since Trump's big beautiful bill is going through reconciliation, MacDonough has the power to veto certain provisions that she feels aren't related to the budget or are solely policy objectives. The appeal of the reconciliation process is obvious. Since Republicans control 53 seats in the Senate, a united GOP can essentially pass the bill without input from a single Democratic senator. The catch is, MacDonough can pick and choose which line items in the bill need to be slashed with red ink. She will be responsible for interpreting whether the Big Beautiful Bill complies with something called the Byrd Rule, which has been around since 1985. If MacDonough decides to exercise her veto power, key provisions of President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill could be deleted The Byrd Rule is named after the late Sen. Robert Byrd, who was a key figure in instituting the guardrails around reconciliation packages like the one Trump is trying to ram through. The most important facet of the Byrd Rule states that reconciliation bills cannot have provisions in them that don't have an effect on the budget. Put simply, if a provision doesn't meaningfully increase or decrease federal spending, it can be considered extraneous and be tossed out of the bill. The Byrd Rule also prohibits reconciliation bills from overhauling Social Security or increasing the deficit for a fiscal year not included in the bill's purview. The test to see whether a bill complies with the rule has been referred to as the 'Byrd Bath.' MacDonough last used the 'Byrd Bath' to water down President Joe Biden's Build Back Better package in 2022. Specifically, she struck down three separate attempts by the Democrats to provide a pathway to citizenship for eight million immigrants living in the United States illegally. Now, she's in the position to take a major bite out of Trump's agenda, though its not entirely clear what she might take aim at. Many have speculated MacDonough will rule against a provision buried deep within the bill that will upend the US judicial system. Section 70302 of the bill would severely limit the power of federal courts to enforce injunctions or hold government officials in contempt. This comes as federal judges have slapped the second Trump administration with an unprecedented 25 nationwide injunctions in its first 100 days, most of which curtailed the government's ability to deport illegal migrants. During a townhall on Friday, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told a constituent that she believed this provision has no chance of getting through the Senate. 'I don't see any argument that could ever be made that this affects mandatory spending or revenues, so I just don't see that I don't see that getting into the Senate bills,' Ernst said. The big beautiful bill also contains a section that prohibits Medicaid funds from going to any clinic that provides abortions. Back in 2017, the parliamentarian found that a similar provision in a reconciliation bill violated the Byrd Rule, which could mean she'll strike it down again this time. The current bill's regulations on AI could also be cast aside in the impending Byrd Bath. There is precedent for firing the parliamentarian. In May 2001, then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. (left), fired the parliamentarian at the time, Robert Dove (right), because he was getting in the way of President George W. Bush's budget bill There is precedent for the Senate simply ignoring the parliamentarian. The declarations of MacDonough and all the other parliamentarians before her have been non-binding and lacking in actual enforcement power. Just two weeks ago, the Senate voted 51-44 to repeal a federal waiver that allowed California to institute an electric vehicle mandate, completely disregarding the parliamentarian's guidance on the issue. Democrats condemned the move by Republicans, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying, 'Republicans, I believe, I am certain, will come to regret the ill-considered step they take tonight.' Going back a bit further, there is also precedent of Senate leaders getting rid of the parliamentarian over disagreements on the Byrd Rule. On May 7, 2001, then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., fired the parliamentarian at the time, Robert Dove, because he was getting in the way of President George W. Bush's budget bill. Exactly one month later, with a new parliamentarian in place, Bush was able to sign his first landmark tax cut into law. This scenario appears unlikely to repeat, since Senate Majority Leader John Thune has indicated that he isn't even willing to overrule the parliamentarian, let alone fire her. 'We're not going there,' Thune told reporters on Monday.
Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS America's fourth-largest bank has handcuffs removed after 'widespread consumer abuses'
Regulators are removing some shackles from America's fourth-largest bank. The US Federal Reserve announced on Tuesday that Wells Fargo will no longer have to operate under a $1.95 trillion asset cap the regulator imposed on the bank in 2018 following its long-running sales practices scandal. The Fed said in a statement that the bank had made 'substantial progress' in addressing its deficiencies, including improving governance and risk management programs, clearing the way for the central bank to remove the unprecedented growth restriction.
