By Bill Wichert Law 360
New Jersey’s fall in-person bar exam is canceled and will instead be held remotely, as cases of the coronavirus climb nationwide and make it unsafe to bring together the roughly 2,000 applicants across multiple locations, the state Supreme Court’s chief justice said on Wednesday.
The COVID-19 pandemic led the New Jersey Supreme Court in April to postpone the in-person test from this month to Sept. 9-10, but the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners will now administer the examination remotely on Oct. 5-6, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said in an order.
Of the nearly 2,000 applicants for the in-person test — which was supposed to be held at multiple locations — roughly 900 candidates are from outside the state and about 150 hail from states whose residents must self-quarantine for two weeks in accordance with the governor’s travel advisory, the justice noted.
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“Although New Jersey has made significant inroads to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 is gaining strength in many areas of the country and continues to be a serious threat to health and safety,” Justice Rabner said.
“Under the circumstances, and guided by the science, the Supreme Court has concluded it is simply unsafe to gather 2,000 applicants, even across multiple coordinated locations, for an in-person bar examination,” the justice added.
The switch from an in-person to a remote bar exam reflects the state judiciary’s ongoing cautious approach to the evolving public health crisis. While some in-person state court proceedings have resumed, most court events have been held via video or telephone over the past few months.
