California Supreme Court Grants Law License to Illegal Immigrant; Will Other States Follow?

By Joe Guzzardi

With the California Supreme Court’s decision to allow illegal immigrant Sergio Garcia to practice law, the state has hit the nadir of insanity in eliminating distinctions between those here legally and those who are not.

Garcia’s case dates back to 2009 when he first passed the California bar examination. His many allies argued that since Garcia came to the US as a child and has lived an exemplary life in the more than 20 years since his arrival including his graduation from Cal Northern Law School, the 36-year-old should be allowed to practice. But in August 2012, the Department of Justice issued an amicus brief stating that federal law prohibits granting professional licenses to illegal immigrants unless a state passes a law allowing it. The California Legislature passed such a law in September 2013; Governor Jerry Brown signed it in October.