Posted on 11/09/2001 11:07:59 AM PST by truthandlife
Former President Clinton asked to resign from the Supreme Court bar Friday, rather than fight suspension or disbarment related to the Paula Jones sexual harassment investigation.
The high court suspended Clinton Oct. 1 as a follow-up to suspension of his law license in his home state of Arkansas. The high court gave Clinton until Friday to say why he should not be permanently barred from appearing before the high court as a lawyer.
Clinton lawyer David Kendall, in a letter to the court clerk, linked Clinton's request to the loss of his Arkansas law license.
On Jan. 19, a day before he left office, Clinton agreed to a 5-year suspension of the license and a $25,000 fine as part of a settlement that ended the Monica Lewinsky investigation. Independent Counsel Robert Ray agreed not to prosecute Clinton after he left office.
The agreement also satisfied the legal effort by the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct to disbar Clinton for giving misleading testimony in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case.
"In order to avoid the burden of litigation for all parties, to achieve an expeditious and definitive resolution, and in acknowledgment that his actions merited censure, former President Clinton agreed to the suspension and fine," Kendall wrote Friday.
The high court could act on Clinton's request as soon as Tuesday.
Supreme Court disbarment typically follows disbarment in lower courts, and is considered final. In a few cases, lawyers who have successfully regained their law licenses in lower courts have successfully won reinstatement at the Supreme Court. Likewise, Clinton could reapply if he regains his law license, in Arkansas or elsewhere, and keeps it blemish-free for three years.
Membership in the Supreme Court bar is largely ceremonial, but is regarded as an honor among lawyers. Membership requires a sponsor who is already a member, and who will vouch for the candidate's qualifications.
Clinton was admitted to the Supreme Court bar in 1977, when he was Arkansas attorney general. Like most lawyers admitted to the high court bar, Clinton has never argued a case before it.
Clinton is doing nothing but playing a PR game so he can say he can say he resigned and not have to say he was disbarred. It's all about spin. He is disbarred and chose not to fight it. It is a simple as that.
At least
Nixon
Resigned!
However, I was speaking of the opinion of history generally.
Some time after that, he will reapply to the SCOTUS bar, hoping that by then people will have forgotten or at least not care.
Lawyer fee are coming out of his pocket now. Before, we poor slobs that support our govment had to pay.
Hefty, Hefty, Hefty! vs Whimpy, Whimpy, Whimpy!
Slick has to endure another humiliation.
I feel so sorry for him.
(sarcasm off)
He was prolly afraid that after that glowing, read, illuminating, speech he gave at Georgetown, if he tried to fight it, the Court might reconstitute hanging for raw treason.
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