Gavin Howe
There have been several claims on social media that former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama surrendered their law licenses to escape disciplinary action. These claims are false. Both Barack and Michelle Obama changed their registration status voluntarily and remain in good standing with the Illinois Bar Association. Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988 and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. She requested that her license be placed on inactive status in 1994. Barack Obama elected to have his license placed on inactive status after he announced his candidacy for president in 2007 and changed it to retired after becoming president in early 2009.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for surrendering law license | To escape charges of lying on his bar application |
| Date of surrender | 2008 |
| Status of law license | Voluntarily retired and not authorized to practice law |
| Reason for surrendering law license | To avoid standing trial for insurance fraud |
| Date of surrender | 1993 |
| Status of law license | Voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law |
| Reason for surrendering law license | To avoid disciplinary action |
| Status of law license | Not authorized to practice law in Illinois |
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What You'll Learn
Barack Obama's law license status
Barack Obama was admitted to the Illinois State Bar Association on December 17, 1991, but he is no longer authorized to practice law. His Illinois Registration Status shows that he is "Retired - not authorized to practice law or provide pro bono services." The last year he was registered was 2008, the year he was elected president.
A spokesperson for the Illinois ARDC stated that Barack Obama elected to assume retired status. He could return to active status and practice law if he desired. To do so, he would have to submit a written or online notification stating that he intended to return to active status and pay the registration fee for each year that he was retired.
It is not true that Barack Obama surrendered his license to practice law to escape charges that he lied on his bar application. There has never been any disciplinary action against him.
Michelle Obama's Law License Status
Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988 and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. Following graduation, she joined Sidley Austin, a corporate law firm in Chicago. In 1994, while working for the Public Allies project in Chicago, she voluntarily had her license placed on "inactive" status.
Michelle Obama is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law." She could return to practicing law, but the process would be different from her husband's. She would have to file a motion with the Illinois Supreme Court requesting to be transferred back to active status. However, she would only have to pay the registration fee for the year she requested to return to active status.
It is not true that Michelle Obama surrendered her law license because a federal judge gave her the choice between surrendering her license or standing trial for insurance fraud. There has never been any disciplinary action against her.
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Michelle Obama's law license status
Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988 and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. Following her graduation, she joined Sidley Austin, a corporate law firm in Chicago. However, in 1994, while working for the Public Allies project in Chicago, she voluntarily had her license placed on "inactive" status.
Michelle Obama did not "surrender" her law license but rather requested that her license be placed on "inactive" status. A lawyer who has surrendered their law license no longer possesses it, whereas a lawyer who has gone on inactive status retains a valid law license but is not currently engaged in any professional activities requiring an active license.
Michelle Obama's license status is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law." This status is common for lawyers who don't need a bar card, such as those who don't appear in court or counsel clients outside of their employment. Being an active status lawyer costs more money than being inactive, and it requires one to do Continuing Legal Education classes, unless one is in certain jobs for which the CLE requirements are waived.
The Obamas have not publicly disclosed the reasons behind their decision to change the status of their licenses. However, it is important to note that neither Barack nor Michelle Obama has ever been the subject of attorney disciplinary proceedings in Illinois.
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The Obamas' reasons for changing their license status
There are several speculations about the Obamas' reasons for changing their law license status. However, it is important to clarify that neither Barack nor Michelle Obama has ever been the subject of attorney disciplinary proceedings in Illinois. The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (IARDC) confirmed that there have never been any disciplinary actions against the former president or his wife.
Barack Obama is listed as "voluntarily retired and not authorized to practice law." One source suggests that he elected to have his license placed on inactive status after he announced his candidacy for president in 2007 and changed it to retired after becoming president in early 2009. However, some sources claim that he ""surrendered his license back in 2008 to escape charges that he lied on his bar application." It is important to note that these claims have been flagged as false by Facebook's efforts to combat misinformation.
Michelle Obama is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law." She graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988 and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. She joined Sidley Austin, a corporate law firm in Chicago. In 1994, while working for the Public Allies project in Chicago, she voluntarily had her license placed on "inactive" status. Several sources claim that she "voluntarily surrendered her law license in 1993 after a federal judge gave her the choice between surrendering her license or standing trial for insurance fraud." These claims have also been proven false, and there is no evidence of any wrongdoing on her part.
While the Obamas haven't publicly stated the exact reasons for changing their license status, it is clear that they chose to do so voluntarily and were not forced to surrender their licenses due to disciplinary actions or criminal charges.
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False claims about the Obamas' law licenses
Several false claims have been made about the Obamas and their law licenses. One such claim is that Barack Obama "surrendered his license back in 2008 to escape charges that he lied on his bar application". However, according to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois, Obama is listed as "voluntarily retired and not authorised to practise law". This means that he could practise law again if he chose to do so.
Another false claim is that Michelle Obama "voluntarily surrendered her law license in 1993 after a federal judge gave her the choice between surrendering her license or standing trial for insurance fraud". Michelle Obama is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorised to practise law". This status is common for lawyers who don't need a bar card, such as those who don't appear in court or counsel clients other than their employer. Michelle Obama could also practise law again if she chose to do so.
The Obamas did not surrender their licenses to avoid disciplinary action or criminal prosecution. There have never been any disciplinary actions against either Barack or Michelle Obama, and no public disciplinary proceedings have ever been brought against them. The online registration record used to list Michelle Obama as "on court-ordered inactive status", but this was not because of any wrongdoing. Before 1999, an Illinois Supreme Court rule required active lawyers who wanted to change their registration status to do so by petitioning the court.
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The process of voluntarily surrendering a law license
Several online sources claim that former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama surrendered their law licenses to avoid disciplinary action or criminal prosecution. However, these claims are false, according to sources such as FactCheck.org, Snopes, and Reuters. Neither Barack nor Michelle Obama has ever been the subject of attorney disciplinary proceedings in Illinois.
Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988 and was admitted as a lawyer by the Supreme Court of Illinois on May 12, 1989. A few years later, in 1994, she voluntarily had her license placed on "inactive" status. This means that she still holds a valid law license but is not currently engaged in any professional activities that require it to be active.
Barack Obama is listed as "voluntarily retired and not authorized to practice law," while Michelle is listed as "voluntarily inactive and not authorized to practice law." According to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, lawyers who voluntarily change their registration status to inactive or retired "may not practice law based upon their Illinois license or hold themselves out as being so authorized."
Now, what does the process of voluntarily surrendering a law license entail?
Voluntary surrender of a license means that, in writing, the licensee has offered to give up their valid license, and the relevant department has accepted this offer. The department is not required to accept the offer and may decline to do so at its sole discretion. Voluntary surrender is typically done to resolve outstanding complaints instead of going through a revocation or suspension process. It is considered a proactive action and is viewed more amicably than having a revocation or suspension sanction on one's record.
In the context of driving licenses, voluntary surrender can be done to prevent a suspension or as a result of personal choices, such as feeling it is no longer safe to drive. For example, in California, a driver whose license has been revoked or suspended is compelled to return their license, while the DMV also provides a form to voluntarily surrender a driver's license.
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Frequently asked questions
No. This is a false claim that has been circulating since the 2008 U.S. presidential election. There is no record of any disciplinary actions or criminal charges against the Obamas.
Barack Obama elected to have his license placed on inactive status after he announced his candidacy for president in 2007 and changed it to retired after becoming president in early 2009. Michelle Obama requested that her license be placed on "inactive" status in 1994. The Obamas haven't stated what prompted them to change the status of their licenses.
A "Voluntary Surrender" is when a lawyer chooses to give up their license because they've been accused of something, usually just before the state suspends them. This is different from going on "inactive" status, where a lawyer still holds a valid license but isn't actively practising law.
No, neither of them holds an active license to practise law. However, they could return to active status and practise law if they desired.
Yes, they are listed as honorary members of the organisation.
