The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a case alleging age discrimination within the California Bar Exam. This conclusion comes as a blow to Massachusetts intellectual property lawyer, Matthew Flinders, who contends that the examination carries an inherent bias against lawyers over forty.
Flinders, presently 52, failed the California Bar in both 2019 and 2020. This examination, notoriously one of the most challenging state bar exams in the country, became a requirement for him when he received a job offer in California. As the state does not offer reciprocity, Flinders was required to pass their specific exam to validate his lawyering license.
Rejecting Flinders’ call to investigate the exam’s legality puts to rest his claim that the bar is unjust towards older lawyers. However, the case also raised the question of the bar’s immunity — whether or not it could be held liable being an arm of the state.
The Supreme Court decision follows earlier responses from the California Supreme Court, which had previously declined to intercede in Flinders’ age bias lawsuit.
You can read full article here.