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Law360 (January 26, 2021, 10:42 PM EST) -- Georgia's high court canceled the state's in-person bar exam scheduled for February and moved the test online, citing continued uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic.
In a three-page statement on Monday, the Supreme Court of Georgia acknowledged the public health need to continue employing mechanisms to prevent the virus's transmission as the basis behind its decision.
"The court further orders that the remote administration of a bar examination in February 2021 shall otherwise be considered a regular bar examination," the court said in its brief statement.
Georgia joins a slew of other states such as Florida and North Carolina, both of which announced in November their plan to remotely administer their state's bar exams in February. Still, there are other states planning to hold their February exams in person.
The move comes amid growing scrutiny nationwide over remote exams and whether they place damaging barriers to success for certain groups. Some test-takers have voiced frustrations over the technology used for the exams, leading to calls for recent graduates to be allowed to practice law without completing them.
Remote administration of the bar exam has also resulted in litigation. Three prospective bar exam-takers with disabilities sued the State Bar of California last year, alleging the agency discriminated against them by refusing to allow accommodations like screen readers and bathroom breaks for remote test-takers.
Monday's decision to administer Georgia's bar exam remotely isn't the state's first time pivoting online. Last July, Georgia's high court ended up canceling its in-person bar exam scheduled for September and moved the test online over similar virus-related concerns.
The United States had more than 25.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases as of Tuesday evening, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
--Additional reporting by Hailey Konnath and Justin Wise. Editing by Daniel King.
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