Scooter Libby Disbarred

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Thursday disbarred Scooter Libby from the practice of law in DC effective June 12, 2007, the date he filed an affidavit of voluntary compliance with the court’s rules on professional ethics for lawyers. The court wrote:

• When a member of the Bar is convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude, disbarment is mandatory. When convictions on more than one count are involved, disbarment is mandated if any one of them involves moral turpitude. This court has held that obstruction of justice (18 U.S.C. § 1503) and perjury (18 U.S.C. § 1623) are crimes of moral turpitude per se.  Since respondent was convicted of each of these offenses, as the Board concluded, disbarment is mandatory under D.C. Code § 11-2503 (a) [citations omitted].

Libby had not contested the recommendation of the Board of Professional Responsibility. The disbarment will last at least five years and should affect his standing in other states where he is licensed.  The Washington Post story is here.