Disciplinary board seeks Attorney General Kane’s law license
August 28, 2015 11:10 PM
By Angela Couloumbis and Craig R. McCoy / The Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/sta...s/201508280285
In a maneuver that could force out Pennsylvania’s top prosecutor, the Disciplinary Board of the state Supreme Court has notified Attorney General Kathleen Kane it is seeking an emergency suspension of her law license, according to sources familiar with the matter.
“I can’t talk to you about it because anything I say can be held against me,” said Ms. Kane when reached for comment Friday.
Kane spokesman Chuck Ardo said he could not speak to the matter.
“I have no information to that effect and therefore cannot comment,” he said.
Asked about the notice, Ms. Kane’s criminal attorney, Gerald Shargel, would say only that Ms. Kane has been unfairly punished because “she is a whistle-blower” who has exposed unseemly behavior among former prosecutors in her office.
She has 10 days to respond and make the case as to why she should be able to keep her license. The Supreme Court would make the ultimate decision.
The state constitution requires that the attorney general be an active member of the bar, holding a valid law license.
By seeking an emergency suspension, the disciplinary board, which oversees attorney conduct, is bypassing the much lengthier process behind stripping lawyers of their law license.
Rule 208 of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court allows the board’s so-called disciplinary counsel to petition the high court for an emergency temporary suspension if it believes an attorney “is causing immediate and substantial public or private harm,” or has engaged in “egregious conduct.”
Ms. Kane was charged Aug. 6 by District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman of Montgomery County with conspiracy, official oppression, perjury, and other crimes for allegedly leaking confidential grand jury materials to embarrass a critic.
Ms. Kane has denied breaking any laws and has vowed to remain in office, despite calls from top Democrats, including Gov. Tom Wolf, that she resign.
Wow, attorneys holding a fellow attorney responsible for misconduct. That's a new one.
Politics is a tough sport, a game without rules. Harry Truman told it like it is: "You want a friend in this town, buy a dog."
I thought that was the new Baltimore City ad campaign??