Donald Trump is mighty peeved that North Carolina isn’t going to let him run the GOP Convention in the state unless he scales it back and complies with a litany of COVID-inspired safety protocols. The state doesn’t want some kind of deadly outbreak just because they pack a couple thousand elderly Republicans into a convention hall. Because that really would be a shame.
This concern about large, in-person gatherings over the summer appears limited to the RNC however, with the state forging ahead with its July bar exam and joining Mississippi in asking applicants to kick off the most stressful exam they’ll ever take by waiving their right to recovery if North Carolina’s stubborn insistence on holding this exam lands them in the hospital or the morgue.
Unlike Mississippi, North Carolina isn’t asking applicants to affirmatively waive their rights, so much as posting a notice that anyone taking the test has already done so. There’s good reason to believe that this is just the first issue-spotter of the exam, and applicants will be tested on their ability to point out that this is complete legal gibberish:
Some contracts and civil law professors, however, are scratching their heads. “I don’t think it’s enforceable or material,” says David Hoffman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. “This is not an agreement; it’s a posted sign.
Putting aside the attempted waiver, North Carolina is also taking the macabre step of preparing for some gunner to show up for the test as a walking “COVID Casey” and put together a coronavirus romper room for anyone exhibiting symptoms during the test:
Potential life lesson: if you feel the need to spell out your plans for a severe pathogen outbreak during your exam… maybe don’t hold the exam. Perfect safety is never guaranteed, but no one feels the need to share the plan in case of a fire at the test site. The fact that this is spelled out in the materials is indicative that the examiners know that they need to provide assurances for applicants to feel safe which is a pretty damn good reason not to go forward with the test when we have so many other options from delays to online exams to variations of diploma privilege.
But let’s just screw it and put some “NO COVID ALLOWED” signs up and call it a day.
Earlier: Bar Exam Applicants Forced To Sign COVID Waiver In Case In-Person Exam Ends Up Killing Them
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.