The deans of all 15 law schools in New York have joined the push for an emergency diploma privilege that would let recent graduates become licensed without taking the bar exam.

In a July 17 letter to the New York Court of Appeals, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and several other elected officials, the deans requested the state adopt a diploma privilege “in the swiftest way possible.” Their letter came one day after the Court of Appeals canceled the exam that was to be held in-person Sept. 9 and 10 without committing to any alternatives. (The September exam was a postponement of the traditional July bar exam.)