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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBy GENE JOHNSON<\/a>The Associated Press<\/p>\n\n\n\n SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 A divided Washington Supreme Court on Thursday approved a registered sex offender\u2019s application to become an attorney in the state \u2014 though the man says he\u2019s not sure he\u2019ll wind up practicing law after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zachary Leroy Stevens, 35, has been living in Arizona, where he attended law school and worked for a lawyer who represents American Indian tribes. He grew up in Utah, where he was convicted of voyeurism after sending child pornography to an undercover detective in 2006 at age 19 and where several years later he was arrested for drunken driving while on probation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a 5-4 decision, the court noted his relative youth at the time of his offenses, that he wasn\u2019t much older than the people whose images he shared, and said he had since demonstrated the \u201cgood moral character\u201d necessary to be allowed to practice law. Stevens was previously refused admission to the Arizona bar but said he would move to Washington state, where his wife had connections, if his application there was approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLike all of us, Stevens is more than the sum of the worst moments of his life,\u201d Justice Mary Yu wrote for the majority. \u201cAs an adult, he has abstained from engaging in any unlawful conduct since 2013. In that time, he has graduated from college and law school, he has been steadily employed, and he has developed a supportive network of friends and family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dissenting justices, led by Justice Barbara Madsen, said they were concerned that Stevens had not completed his legal obligations \u2014 he must continue to register as a sex offender until 2024 at least; that he had not provided a current mental health evaluation; and that the Arizona bar had rejected his application, a factor that Washington should respect, they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe fact that Stevens must register as a sex offender until he is eligible to petition for remission is particularly concerning, especially because one of this court\u2019s key responsibilities is to guard the public and its confidence in the judicial system,\u201d Madsen wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, she suggested her analysis might be different once Stevens submitted a current evaluation and was no longer required to register as a sex offender. Under Utah law, sex offenders can petition to have their registration requirements canceled after 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stevens applied to become a lawyer in Washington in 2019, after Arizona rejected his application. A Washington State Bar Association committee reviewed his petition and rejected it 6-5. He appealed to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a phone interview Thursday night, he said he cried when he read the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to get admitted to the practice of law for longer than I attended law school,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stevens said he is now working for the multinational conglomerate Honeywell, where he works on subcontracting for government projects. His plans to move to Washington state have been disrupted because he and his wife have split up, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for legal work, he noted that he could stay in Phoenix and represent tribes as an attorney on gaming and water rights issues, because he wouldn\u2019t need to be a member of the Arizona bar to do so. Or he could move to Washington state anyway, since his brother recently moved to Portland, Oregon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" High Court rules convicted sex offender can become WA State lawyer Nov. 4, 2022 at 9:00 am\u00a0Updated Nov. 7, 2022 at 4:00 pm By GENE JOHNSONThe Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 A divided Washington Supreme Court on Thursday approved a registered … Continue reading