Florida court hears case of Illegal immigrant applying for law license

Published October 02, 2012
FoxNews.com





The Florida Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday on whether an illegal immigrant can be granted a law license.

The case is being brought before the court by the state’s Board of Bar Examiners, which has asked the court for an opinion on whether to grant a license to Jose Godinez-Samperio.
Godinez-Samperio came from Mexico to the United States as a child with his parents, who had a tourist visa that has long since expired.
He argues that he should be granted a law license under President Obama’s directive this summer that suspends deportation for young illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. under similar circumstances.
The directive also grants successful applicants a temporary work permit but does not provide a path to citizenship.
Godinez-Samperio's lawyer, Sandy D'Alemberte, has said her client “falls squarely under this rule."
“Jose has complied with every valid rule for admission to the Florida Bar. There is no rule in place that blocks his admission right now," she told The South Florida Sun-Sentinel last month.

The groups Americans for Legal Immigration and Judicial Watch recently said that if Godinez-Samperio was granted the license, he still could not earn a living legally in the U.S., according to the newspaper.

Godinez-Samperio would most likely have been granted the law license under the so-called DREAM Act, which stalled in Congress but would have provided a path to citizenship for young people whose parents either entered the country illegally or stayed on expired documents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.