California Bar Applicant Campus Protest Memo Likely to Stand

The California bar is upholding long-held standards in a memo stating that applicants who were disciplined for participation in campus protests may receive moral character inquiries, a state bar committee said Friday.

Members of the state’s Committee of Bar Examiners asked the authors of the memo, titled “Moral Character Determinations and the Israeli-Palestinian Campus Protests,” in a Friday meeting to consider editing it to stress that inquiries will be evaluated on an individual basis.

The suggestion came after public comments that said the memo singles out protest-related activity based on political beliefs. Assurances that such conduct will be considered ...