Undocumented Fla. bar applicant gets 'deferred action' work permit; will law license be next?
Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio.
Photo by Doug Scaletta.
A Florida State University law graduate has won a deportation deferral and a work permit under the deferred-action program for young immigrants living in the U.S. without proper documentation that was started last year by the executive branch.
And that could help José Godínez-Samperio win a Florida Supreme Court ruling that he qualifies for a state license to practice law, CBS Miami reports.
The court, after hearing oral arguments in October, was waiting for the result of Godínez-Samperio’s deferred-action application before ruling in the case. He has also obtained a state driver’s license, he recently notified the court.
Godínez-Samperio came to this country with his family, on a visitor’s visa, when he was 9 years old, but never returned to Mexico. He has already passed the state bar exam.
Additional and related coverage:
ABA Journal: “The Dream Bar: Some Children Illegally Living in the United States Grow Up to Want to Be Attorneys”
ABA Journal: “Should Public Policy Favor Inclusion When It Comes to Bar Admissions?”
ABAJournal.com: “Undocumented Law Grad Can’t Get Driver’s License, But Hopes for Fla. Supreme Court OK of Law License”
ABAJournal.com: “Florida Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Case of Undocumented Immigrant Seeking Law License”
