As Vice President Kamala Harris launches her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, there has been a notable increase in public curiosity about her past. Among the topics being discussed are claims that Harris initially did not pass her bar exam. Now, many are eager to know about into the details of her legal career and her rise through the ranks of public service.
Here is everything to know about whether Kamala Harris passed the bar exam along with the details of her legal career.
Is Kamala Harris a lawyer?
Yes, Kamala Harris is a lawyer.
Kamala Harris’s academic journey led her to Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she earned a degree in political science and economics. She then returned to California to attend law school. Harris’s career took off in the Bay Area, starting as a prosecutor in Alameda County. Her political ascent began in 2003 when she was elected as San Francisco’s district attorney, making history as the first woman and the first Black and South Asian American to hold the position. She served two terms from 2004 to 2010.
In 2010, Harris achieved another historic milestone by becoming California’s attorney general, the first woman, and the first Black-American and Asian-America individual to do so. She held this position from January 2011 until 2017. Her successful tenure as attorney general paved the way for her election to the US Senate in 2016.
Did Kamala Harris ever fail the bar exam?
Yes, Kamala Harris failed in her first attempt of the bar exam.
Harris faced a setback early in her legal career when she did not pass the California bar exam on her first attempt. According to The Guardian, Harris candidly reflected on this experience in her memoir and admitted that her initial effort was not her best. “In studying for the bar, I had put forward the most half-a**ed performance of my life,” she wrote. Despite this initial failure, Harris successfully passed the exam on her second attempt.
