Sara Granda '09 Passes California State Bar Exam after Legal Fight
The King Hall student who made headlines across the nation and drew praise from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for fighting to take the California State Bar Exam learned on Saturday that she passed the exam.
Sara Granda '09 took the exam in July 2009 after successfully petitioning the California Supreme Court to order the California State Bar to allow her to take the test after it had previously rejected her application. Granda is among the recent graduates from UC Davis School of Law who contributed to the school's exceptional 90 percent bar passage rate for first-time test takers.
In a statement, Governor Schwarzenegger said, "Sara has overcome so much in her life and today I congratulate her for once again persevering and passing the California Bar Exam. Her hard work, dedication, and outlook on life are an inspiration to us all and prove that opportunity lies in every obstacle. She is a fighter and today I join Sara, her family and friends and all Californians as we celebrate her tremendous achievement."
Granda said she initially was not permitted to take the exam because the state Department of Rehabilitation paid her fee by check and thus did not submit credit card information with her application, which prompted the automated system to reject it. The state covered her fee because, Granda told several news agencies, her only source of income is her monthly state disability payment, and she doesn't have a credit card. Granda, who was injured in an automobile accident and has been paralyzed from the neck down since age 17, successfully petitioned the California Supreme Court one day before the exam.
UC Davis School of Law Dean Kevin R. Johnson said, "Sara Granda's achievement is truly remarkable. We are extremely proud of her achievements and are honored for her to be one of our graduates. Congratulations to Sara Granda and all of the UC Davis School of Law students who passed the State Bar Exam."
