Pushinsky v. West Virginia Board of Law Examiners

McGraw, Justice:

Petitioner, Jon Pushinsky, seeks a writ of mandamus to compel the respondents, the West Virginia Board of Law Examiners, to process his application for admission to the West Virginia State Bar. We are asked to decide if the Board may decline to consider an application for admission to the practice of law when an applicant refuses to answer questions relating to his advocacy of or knowing affiliation with organizations advocating the violent or forceful overthrow of the government. We conclude that compelling applicants to answer the questions put forward here as a prerequisite…