Even out of office, they won't leave that man alone
Clinton Disbarred From Supreme Court
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/2001...isbarment.html
By ANNE GEARAN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Monday suspended former President
Clinton (news - web sites) from practicing law before the high court and
gave him 40 days to say why he should not be permanently disbarred.
The order likely means Clinton could not argue a case before the high
court should he ever return to private law practice. Most lawyers who
are admitted to the Supreme Court bar never actually argue a case there,
but the right to do so is considered an honor.
The court did not explain its reasons, but Supreme Court disbarment
often follows disbarment in lower courts. The court acted after it was
notified by the Arkansas Supreme Court that Clinton's Arkansas law
license was suspended for five years and he paid a $25,000 fine. The
Arkansas suspension took effect in April.
Clinton agreed to the Arkansas fine and suspension Jan. 19, the day
before he left office, as part of an understanding with Independent
Counsel Robert Ray to end the Monica Lewinsky investigation.
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.
The Supreme Court followed its standard rules in the Clinton case, which
include suspending Clinton from practice in the court and giving him 40
days to show why he should not be permanently disbarred.
The court order did not mention any vote by the justices.
``Whenever a member of the bar of this court has been disbarred or
suspended from practice of any court of record, or has engaged in
conduct unbecoming a member of the bar of this court, the court will
enter an order suspending that member from practice before this court,''
Supreme Court rules say.
Julia Payne, a spokeswoman for Clinton, referred calls to his lawyer,
David Kendall, in Washington. Kendall did not immediately return a call
seeking comment.
Clinton is a native of Arkansas and was governor there before he was
elected president in 1992. He moved to New York after he left office but
has not applied to practice law there.
Should Clinton apply, said Frank Ciervo, a spokesman for the New York
State Bar Association, the Arkansas suspension would be honored.
``In this case, justice delayed is justice applied,'' said Make R.
Levin, president of the Landmark Legal Foundation. ``Hopefully, this
will help restore the public's faith in the judicial system.'' The
conservative group asked a federal judge to hold Clinton in contempt of
court in 1998 for his statements in the Jones deposition.
Clinton and the Whitewater prosecutor, Ray, worked out their deal late
last year.
Ray promised not to prosecute the president when he left office if
Clinton, in return, would agree to the suspension of his Arkansas law
license for a substantial period, lawyers familiar with the meeting said
then.
The White House meeting between Clinton and Ray touched off three weeks
of negotiations that stretched to Arkansas and eventually led to the
deal that spared Clinton the prospect of indictment.
While the duration of the suspension was longer than Clinton wanted, the
committee had precedent on its side.
A tangential Whitewater figure and former state representative both
recently lost their law licenses for five years. The ex-legislator,
Jimmie Wilson, was one of the 140 people Clinton pardoned in his last
few hours in office.
Another element putting Clinton at a disadvantage in the Arkansas
negotiations was the fact that any staunch presidential supporters on
the bar committee had quit the proceedings.
Eight committee members pulled out because of campaign donations or
personal ties to Clinton, leaving just six members who ultimately
concluded that it was unacceptable for the president to deny under oath
that he had sexual relations with Lewinsky and that he couldn't recall
being alone with her.