Law Student Seeks Pardon of Assault Conviction So He Can Take Bar

Originally charged a decade ago with attempted murder, Shay Golden pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Now the 31-year-old second-year student at Birmingham School of Law is seeking a pardon of that conviction so he can take the Alabama bar, reports the St. Clair Times.

But to apply for a pardon, he must first get a judge to agree to end his probation early, and the government is opposing his St. Clair County Circuit Court request, arguing in part that it will conclude within a year anyway and he can apply for a pardon then. A prosecutor expressed concern about a drunken-driving arrest that did not result in a conviction for Golden, saying that alcohol also played a role in the assault case.

“I’m not the same person I was 10 years ago,” Golden said. “There are very few people who have been where I’ve been, get out and go forward. I know what it costs you to be found guilty of something.”

For more details, read the full article.