(a) The State Bar is subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) and all meetings of the State Bar are subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act.
(b) Notwithstanding any other law, the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act shall not apply to the Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission or the State Bar Court.
(c) In addition to the grounds authorized in the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, a closed session may be held for those meetings, or portions thereof, relating to any of the following:
(1) Appeals from decisions of the Board of Legal Specialization refusing to certify or recertify an applicant or suspending or revoking a specialist’s certificate.
(2) The preparation of examination materials, the approval, the grading, or the security of test administration of examinations for certification of a specialist.
(3) The preparation of examination materials, the approval, the grading, or the security of test administration of the California Bar Examination or the First-Year Law Students’ Examination.
(4) Matters related to the Committee of Bar Examiners’ consideration of moral character, including allegations of criminal or professional misconduct, competence, or physical or mental health of an individual, requests by applicants for testing accommodations in connection with an application for admission to practice law, or appeals of the Committee of Bar Examiners’ determinations.
(5) Information about a law school’s operations that constitutes a trade secret as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 3426.1 of the Civil Code.
(d) Notwithstanding subdivision (e) of Section 11125.7 of the Government Code, the State Bar shall accept public comment in open session on all matters that are agendized for discussion or decision by the board of trustees, whether in an open or a closed session.
(Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 360, Sec. 2. (AB 3362) Effective January 1, 2021.)