Blagojevich Likely to Be Disbarred
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich may have bigger problems right now, but he can also probably kiss his law license goodbye.
Blagojevich, convicted Monday on 17 counts of corruption, will almost certainly be disbarred, the top lawyer for the state supreme court’s attorney registration & disciplinary commission told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I don’t want to be presumptuous enough to speak for the court, but given history, the court would typically impose a substantial penalty, and usually disbarment, for crimes of this nature,” James Grogan, the the Illinois Supreme Court’s Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission’s deputy adminstrator and chief counsel said.
Disbarment is a remedy available to the court whenever a lawyer is convicted of a crime involving “moral turpitude,” Grogan added. “Obviously, the type of crimes he’s been convicted of involve, no doubt, moral turpitude,” he said.
Typically, however, the court won’t move on a lawyer’s law license until after he or she has been sentenced, Grogan said.
Blagojevich, a lawyer and former state and federal lawmaker, was accused of trying to secure campaign contributions, a cabinet post or a high-paying job in exchange for his official acts as governor, including charges that he tried to personally benefit from his role in selecting a successor to President Obama in the U.S. Senate.
The former governor, who was released until sentencing, is facing the prospect of a long prison sentence. The most serious of the counts against him carry penalties of up to 20 years, another Sun-Times article reports.
