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SALT LAKE CITY — Some have raised the question of whether college students who are here illegally could go to law school, and eventually become lawyers, or even judges.
Some states are looking into whether the requirements should be changed to become a lawyer, to allow more students who are here without documentation to start the process.
In Utah, you must be legally in the states to sit for the bar exam, and be a citizen of the US to become a judge. But some say the circumstances of birth must not be allowed to keep talented, hard-working young people from becoming lawyers.
"A person who gets their undergraduate degree, then goes through law school, then spends an awful summer studying for the bar exam and then passes the bar exam, I believe should be able to practice law," said Jessie Nix, with the Utah Minority Bar Association.
Just because I speed doesn't mean I can't go into a courtroom and fight for a defendant who is charged with a crime.
–- Jessie Nix, Utah Minority Bar Association
Nix says each college will have different rules as for admission, but Utah state law states that someone must be a legal resident of the state in order to sit for the bar exam. To become a judge, a lawyer must be a citizen of the United States.
"Because they will ultimately be sworn in as members of the Bar and officers of the Court, they must commit to upholding the constitutions of the state and the United States and uphold our laws," said Utah State Bar Executive Director John Baldwin. "Accordingly, to become a judge, a lawyer specifically must be a citizen of the United States."
Some say you can't be in violation of the law to practice law, but Nix says speeding doesn't keep him from representing someone in court.
"Just because I speed doesn't mean I can't go into a courtroom and fight for a defendant who is charged with a crime," Nix said. "Just because someone is here undocumented doesn't mean they can't stand in court and represent a business on a contract dispute."
He says there should be more minority representation among judges and lawyers, because right now people going to court see people who don't look like them.
"If a Korean-American is charged with a crime or has a business dispute, and they see the judge is a minority as well, they can relate to the judge, they can relate to their lawyer, and they will feel like the court is a legitimate institution," Nix said. "That's why we need more minority representation in all areas of government."
