Ex-President Clinton resigns from Supreme Court bar rather than fight suspension

AP ^ | 11/9/01 | ANNE GEARAN

[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.

[Marysecretary]

I like you, Peter, you don't mince words. Truth is truth.

[EaglesUpForever]

HE LIED UNDER OATH! HE COMMITTED PERJURY!

And that is the tip of the iceberg for this "President". His legacy is 9/11, the other offenses are starting to look tame by comparison.

[LN2Campy]

seems I've read that elsewhere, but I never mind seeing it again and again!!

[LarryLied]

Don't recall exactly but when this first began an ABA or other regulation was changed allowing nonlawyers to be partners in law firms. The freeper consensus at the time was that the change was specially designed to help Clinton should he lose his law license. I probably have this garbled. Anyone remember the exact details?

[homeschool mama]

x42id = EX President #42 Impeached & Disbarred

Nice ring to it, huh?!

[PISANO]

You think that highly of him huh? < /sarcasm >

[spectre]

Ditto!... I'll bet those are only the good things you have to say about him, Peter....LOL!

sw

[goldstategop]

How about plain lily livered yellow bellied COWARD? X42 claims to be an innocent persecuted victim of the vast right wing conspiracy BUT when push comes to shove he tucks tail and flees the scene of the battle. Which is just as well since even the LIBERALS on the U.S Supreme Court have no regard for him whatsoever. When Bill Clinton had the power he was willing to hold out to the very end but now when he can't get his friends to argue on his behalf and can't intimidate his enemies, he's decided its time to cut his losses. After all we've seen letting his expulsion from the SCOTUS bar stand is very fitting indeed and he's the only President in American history to earn the disgrace of not being allowed to argue before our nation's highest court. Now that I call good news in the light of what he said in that Georgetown address the day before... ;-)

[Capt_Hank]

Now I wonder if ABC, CBS and NBC will report on this tonight?

[goldstategop]

Nahhh... the Clinton lovers will let this one sink into the memory hole. As far as they're concerned nothing will ever smirch the halo of their heroooooooooooooo

[FITZ]

All he has to do is snort some coke and he'll feel better.

[sandydipper]

I've seen this before - it's the same thing his Ma told him when he dodged the draft back in Hope.

You gotta a way with words - well said.

[Landru]

"'...I just did the necessary noble moves to benefit the nation.'"

Yea-yea...
But you & I will know the real reason's because Sam ain't paying his legal bills anymore.

That stinkin' louse.

[Guna]

I notice that they did this in typical clinton style - waiting till the end of the week on a Friday. Each time they had bad news to put out, they tried to do it on a Friday or to bomb an aspirin factory.

Boo Hoo

[M. Thatcher]

bill clinton is a stinking lump of excrement from the lowest form of life on earth. He resides in a dank, fetid sewer of human filth and degradation, wallowing in the muck and bodily waste of other low forms of life.

True. And this also is true: Clinton plans to eventually reapply, and thinks the odds are pretty good. How do I know this? From the article itself:

Likewise, Clinton could reapply if he regains his law license, in Arkansas or elsewhere, and keeps it blemish-free for three years...Membership requires a sponsor who is already a member, and who will vouch for the candidate's qualifications.

There are scads of lowlife potential sponsors who would be willing. Mark my words: he plans to ride this "penalty phase" out, and intends to grab the golden ring again.

[JimVT]

Membership requires a sponsor who is already a member, and who will vouch for the candidate's qualifications.

Anyone know which numbnuts sponsored him?

Alan Dershowitz, maybe?

[Positive]

I wonder if anyone else has EVER resigned from the Supreme Court Bar.

[stanz]

Ditto.

[YaYa123]

Thank you Mr. Kessler!!
Best Descriptive Phrase I've Ever Seen. This should be chisled on the cornerstone of the Clinton Library. It should placed in a time capsule, and hellsbells, inside every Chinese Fortune Cookie, and on his tombstone!! This IS the Clinton legacy!!

"bill clinton is a stinking lump of excrement from the lowest form of life on earth. He resides in a dank, fetid sewer of human filth and degradation, wallowing in the muck and bodily waste of other low forms of life."

[pt17]

I have a question about your statement bill clinton is a stinking lump of excrement from the lowest form of life on earth. He resides in a dank, fetid sewer of human filth and degradation, wallowing in the putrescent muck and bodily waste of other low forms of life.

My Question: Is that one lump or two?