California Undocumented Immigrant Allowed to Practice Law in State, Supreme Court Rules

An undocumented immigrant will be able to practice law in California, the Supreme Court in the Golden State ruled on Thursday.

Judges from the high court unanimously ruled in favor of Sergio Garcia, one year after west coast lawmakers passed a measure giving justices clearance to allow lawyer hopefuls they deemed fit to take the bar exam, even if they weren't citizens of the United States.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris upheld Garcia's application, Reuters reported, while the U.S. Department of Justice adamantly shook its head no.

All the while, California Governor Jerry Brown continued signing a host of immigration rights bills through October, including pieces of legislation that allowed the state Supreme Court to clear any illegal immigrants considered qualified to take the bar, barring border agents from detaining immigrants who weren't under suspicion or conviction of serious crimes, and making undocumented immigrants exempt from being fired based on their citizenship status.

Garcia, who came to the United States as a child, lived within American borders until about eight or nine years old, then went back to Mexico with his family, has been involved in heavily-covered legal case concerning immigration rights for at least one year.

The California resident reportedly came back to the United States when he was 18 with his father, who was a permanent resident at the time, then gained citizenship later on, Reuters reported. Garcia's father looked to give his son an immigrant visa in 1995, which Garcia still has not received.

The visa would give him the option to gain permanent residency and eventual citizenship.

Sergio Garcia graduated from Cal Northern School of Law in Chico, Calif., then passed the bar exam in the state, according to Reuters.