My only question is why did it need the Illinois Supreme Court to do this? I thought this was a matter for the Illinois Bar Association. It’s up to them to kick you out of the club (I thought). Not the courts. You are a member of your state bar and your state bar can kick you out.
Also, why the hell did it take so long? If there is any proof you need that lawyers policing themselves via threat of being disbarred is so much bullshit here it is. If it takes this long to disbar that guy then the whole thing seems a sham.
Maybe I am missing something and this is all perfectly normal, nothing to see here. But if so then the system is badly out of whack.
IANAL, but the way I understand it is that disbarment has two meanings: 1. “kicked out of the club,” as you put it, by the Illinois Bar Association and 2. losing one’s license to practice law.
In Illinois, the Attorney Registration and Discipline Commission is the actual body that licenses an attorney to practice in Illinois and that revokes that license should the situation warrant. The ARDC is an office of the Illinois Supreme Court.
From Wikipedia, “The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is among largest voluntary state bar associations in the country. Approximately 28,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISBA membership is not required of lawyers licensed to practice in Illinois and ISBA membership is completely voluntary. The ISBA is headquartered in Springfield, Illinois. It also has an office in Chicago, Illinois.”
Indeed, I believe in all states, actual legal disbarment, that is, removing your license to practice, is a power of the state’s High Court (by whatever name it goes).
In states with mandatory Bar Association membership, the Association will often serve in a sort of official Ethics Committee role who recommends action to the Court, but it is always the Court’s call.
As to what took so long, as the report states, it took a long time for all of Blago’s appeals to go through.
I’m guessing it was because it wasn’t a priority while he was locked up; he only was pardoned/got out in Feb. No point it doing that until the appeals are done, & then what’s the hurry; he wasn’t set to get out for another five years.
I get he was a bad boy but his crimes were related to being an elected official, not to being a lawyer. Is there a requirement that you’re a lawyer to run for guv’ner? It’s interesting that your career can be taken away for doing something unrelated to your profession. Is there a code of conduct like that with any/many other professions? Pro athletes is about all I can think of.
He was openly corrupt. How could he possibly trusted to ethically and forcefully represent the interests of clients when he couldnt do it for the citizens of Illinois?
Remember you are talking about taking away someone’s profession. There are due process rights involved and I would hate to think I could lose my entire trade just because I pissed off some guy at the State Bar. Putting it in the hands of the Supreme Court means that neutral judges acting upon established case law decide your fate.
In situations where you can present an immediate danger to the public, the Court (at least in WV) can suspend your license pending a hearing if certain things are shown or otherwise restrict or supervise your practice of law. This likely didn’t happen to Blago because by being in prison, he presented no such danger to the public.