The latest chapter in the remarkable story of Shon Hopwood — a convicted bank robber now clerking for a District of Columbia federal appeals court judge — puts him on a clear path to becoming a lawyer within a year. The Washington state Supreme Court ruled last month that in spite of his felony record, he will be allowed to sit for the state’s bar exam and, if he passes, to be admitted to the bar.
Some of Hopwood’s friends think that with this latest twist, Hopwood may even apply for a clerkship on the U.S. Supreme Court, where a petition he drafted while in prison in 2002 led to a 9-0 victory for a fellow inmate.
