IN RE: COMMITTEE ON BAR ADMISSIONS CFN-665798 (2024)

ON REHEARING

After petitioner successfully passed the Louisiana Bar Examination and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (“MPRE”), the Committee on Bar Admissions (“Committee”) declined to certify him for admission based on character and fitness grounds. On petitioner's application, we appointed a commissioner to take evidence regarding petitioner's character and fitness. The commissioner filed his report with this court, recommending that petitioner be conditionally admitted to the practice of law. Neither party objected to this recommendation. We accepted this recommendation and held petitioner was eligible to be admitted to the practice of law subject to certain conditions. In re: Committee on Bar Admissions CFN-665798, 22-1693 (La. 11/8/23), 372 So. 3d 801.

The Committee filed a timely application for rehearing. Although the Committee does not take issue with the court's judgment insofar as it pertains to petitioner's character and fitness, it now argues for the first time that petitioner is not eligible for admission because his scores on the bar exam and the MPRE are older than five years and are no longer valid under Supreme Court Rule XVII, § 8(C).¹

Pretermitting the merits of the Committee's arguments, we find the issue of the validity of petitioner's scores is not properly before the court at this time because this issue was not presented on original hearing. See Rodrigue v. LeGros, 563 So. 2d 248, 257 (La. 1990) (“[w]e generally do not grant rehearings to consider issues raised for the first time in the application for rehearing.”).

Accordingly, the application for rehearing is denied.

REHEARING DENIED

FOOTNOTES

1.   Supreme Court Rule XVII, § 8(C) provides that a passing score on the essay portion of the bar exam, and a passing score on the MPRE, “shall be valid for a period of five (5) years from the date of the examination.”

PER CURIAM

Weimer, C.J., would grant the rehearing