State Rep. and SD GOP Vice Chair Mary Fitzgerald not only wants to get rid of the bar exam, but also proposed a bill for the 2024 Legislative session to provide immunity from liability for certain actions of the State Bar and its agents.
We’ve noticed a push to reform the way new grads from law schools get licensed in order to get around having to take the bar exam, as written about here by a person who couldn’t pass it and now wants easier access to becoming a lawyer in South Dakota. On top of that, it’s been said that Mary Fitzgerald is pushing for this most likely because her daughter hasn’t been able to pass the bar exam, regardless of the numerous times she’s taken it.
While we’re on board for true reform in almost any capacity because the entire system of government and its branches are corrupt, we don’t know if this type of reform (making the standard of expectations lower) is the way to do it, especially when it looks like a state politician is trying to abuse their power to change state standards so their kid can have a career as a lawyer when they can’t pass the bar exam. Not sure how that’s doing a service to South Dakotans? It also is to eerily similar to what Governor Noem did when her daughter couldn’t pass the exam to become real estate appraiser.
Let’s do something that brings in true reform that legitimately serves South Dakotans over the friends and family of state legislators and keeps the bar high in order to have people in public service who can actually do the job well and not risk a South Dakotan’s right on any matter on the hopes they may have gotten a good lawyer or not when that’s already in question as it is.