TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The Florida Supreme Court will be able to grant law licenses to non-citizens under a bill that’s going to Gov. Rick Scott.
The Senate voted 26-7 for the bill on Friday.
The Supreme Court ruled in March that people in the country illegally can’t be issued law licenses. The case involved Jose Godinez-Samperio, who was seeking his license after passing the bar in 2011. Godinez-Samperio came to the United States with his parents on a tourist visa when he was 9, and they remained in the country after it expired.
The court said Godinez-Samperio is an excellent candidate to become a lawyer, but the immigration status made him unqualified unless state law was changed.
Godinez-Samperio called the vote historic. Scott has said he’ll sign the bill.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.