Richard Sander, Plaintiffs and Appellants v. State Bar of California, Defendants and Respondents

Summary

The court held that common law principles recognize a qualified public right of access to the State Bar’s admissions database because the information bears on the public’s understanding of the State Bar’s administration of bar admissions. Disclosure is required only if the data can be provided in a form that protects applicants’ privacy and no countervailing interest outweighs the public interest. The judgment affirming the Court of Appeal was affirmed, with a remand for the trial court to resolve privacy, burden, and record-modification issues.