Cecily Zamora
Bill Clinton's law license was suspended for five years after he acknowledged to an Arkansas circuit court that he had engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration. This came about as a result of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, in which Clinton lied about having a sexual relationship with Lewinsky, leading to his impeachment for perjury and obstruction of justice. Clinton faced disbarment before the U.S. Supreme Court but opted to resign from the court's practice instead of facing any penalties.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for giving up law license | Bill Clinton was disbarred from practising law due to the Monica Lewinsky scandal |
| Date of giving up law license | January 19, 2001 |
| Court that issued the disbarment | Arkansas Supreme Court |
| Fine associated with the case | $25,000 |
| Length of law license suspension | Five years |
| Outcome of the Lewinsky scandal | Acquitted of impeachment charges of perjury and obstruction of justice |
| Clinton's main source of income at the time | Speech-making and advances for his proposed memoirs |
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What You'll Learn
Bill Clinton's sexual misconduct allegations
Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, has been accused by four women of sexual misconduct, including rape, harassment, and sexual assault. In light of the #MeToo movement, these allegations have been revisited and lent more credence.
One of the most well-known allegations involves Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern. Clinton admitted to having an extramarital relationship with Lewinsky, which he and Lewinsky initially characterised as consensual. However, in 2018, Lewinsky began to question this view, describing the relationship as a "gross abuse of power" due to the power differential between a president and an intern. This scandal ultimately led to Clinton's disbarment and the suspension of his Arkansas law license for five years, as well as a $25,000 fine.
Juanita Broaddrick has made another serious allegation, accusing Clinton of raping her in 1978 when he was Arkansas' attorney general. Broaddrick, then a 35-year-old nursing home administrator, claimed that Clinton violently raped her in a hotel room, biting her lip and drawing blood.
Kathleen Willey has also accused Clinton of harassment, stating that he cornered and assaulted her in a small room off the Oval Office after she confided in him about financial troubles. Paula Jones initiated a sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton in 1994, claiming he made unwanted advances in 1991, although this was dismissed by a judge. These four women have brought attention to Clinton's alleged misconduct and prompted a reexamination of his standing within the Democratic Party.
In addition to these allegations, there have been associations with other sexual abuse scandals. Clinton's connection to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell has come under scrutiny, with Maxwell honoured by the Clinton Global Initiative in 2013 despite accusations against her. While Clinton's staff recommended banning her from official events, her presence at the CGI conference indicated a personal invitation from Clinton or his wife.
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The Lewinsky scandal
In 1995, 21-year-old Monica Lewinsky began an affair with then-US President Bill Clinton, which lasted about two years. Lewinsky was an intern in the office of Clinton's Chief of Staff, Leon Panetta.
In January 1998, the scandal came to light when Linda Tripp, to whom Lewinsky had confided about the affair, gave more than 20 hours of taped phone conversations to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr. Tripp had been secretly wired by FBI agents, and Lewinsky had also discussed the relationship at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Pentagon City, Virginia, where she was staying.
On January 17, 1998, the Drudge Report published a story alleging that Lewinsky had kept a garment with Clinton's dried semen. Mainstream news outlets picked up the report, and on January 26, Clinton denied the report in a televised statement, saying, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."
However, on July 28, 1998, Lewinsky received transactional immunity in exchange for grand jury testimony concerning her relationship with Clinton. She also turned over a semen-stained blue dress to Starr's investigators, which matched Clinton's semen, providing unambiguous circumstantial evidence of the relationship. On August 17, 1998, Clinton admitted in a taped grand jury testimony that he had engaged in an "improper physical relationship" with Lewinsky.
Clinton was impeached as a result of the scandal but was acquitted by the Senate on February 12, 1999, with the vote on the perjury charge being 55 not guilty and 45 guilty, and on the obstruction of justice charge being 50-50. Both votes fell short of the two-thirds majority required to convict and remove an officeholder.
On January 19, 2001, Clinton's law license was suspended for five years after he acknowledged to an Arkansas circuit court that he had engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. The US Supreme Court later disbarred Clinton from practising law before the high court, marking the official end of the Lewinsky scandal.
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Clinton's impeachment charge
On December 19, 1998, Bill Clinton became the second US president to be impeached. The impeachment charges against Clinton were lying under oath and obstruction of justice, specifically pertaining to his denial of a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. The catalyst for Clinton's impeachment was the Starr Report, which was released to the public on September 11, 1998. The report outlined eleven possible grounds for impeachment, including perjury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and abuse of power. It also included explicit details of the sexual relationship between Clinton and Lewinsky.
The impeachment process began with a formal House inquiry on October 8, 1998, and Clinton was impeached by the United States House of Representatives of the 105th United States Congress. The House adopted two articles of impeachment, charging Clinton with perjury and obstruction of justice. The Senate trial began in mid-January 1999, with Chief Justice William Rehnquist presiding. It was clear from the start that the Senate would not be able to produce the two-thirds majority vote required to convict Clinton and remove him from office.
On February 12, 1999, Clinton was acquitted on both charges, with the vote falling short of the two-thirds majority needed for conviction. On the perjury charge, the vote was 55 not guilty and 45 guilty, while on the obstruction of justice charge, the vote was evenly split at 50-50. Clinton remained in office for the rest of his second term.
In relation to Clinton's law license, it is important to note that he had not practised law since 1983. However, on January 19, 2001, Clinton's Arkansas law license was suspended for five years, and he was fined $25,000. This was a result of a plea bargain agreed to by Clinton to avoid prosecution after leaving office. He also faced disbarment before the US Supreme Court but opted to resign from the court's practice instead of facing penalties.
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Clinton's suspension and disbarment
Bill Clinton's law license was suspended for five years after he acknowledged to an Arkansas circuit court that he had engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. This was in relation to the Monica Lewinsky scandal, in which Clinton lied about having an affair with Lewinsky, which formed the basis for an impeachment charge of perjury. Clinton was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice, but the Senate acquitted him of both charges as the votes fell short of the two-thirds majority required to convict and remove an officeholder.
Clinton faced disbarment before the U.S. Supreme Court but opted to resign from the court's practice instead of facing any penalties. The Supreme Court issued an order disbarring Clinton from practising law before the high court, marking the official end of the Lewinsky scandal. The original disbarment lawsuit was brought by a professional conduct committee of the Arkansas Supreme Court following the Lewinsky revelations and Clinton's admission that he lied to the investigation. The committee also sought to disbar Clinton for giving misleading testimony in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case.
In 1998, Clinton settled with former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones for $850,000 in a four-year lawsuit alleging sexual harassment. Clinton did not acknowledge wrongdoing in the settlement. In addition to the Jones and Lewinsky scandals, Clinton has faced various other sexual assault and misconduct allegations throughout his career. These include allegations from Juanita Broaddrick, Leslie Millwee, Karen Hinton, and Kathleen Willey.
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Clinton's resignation from the court's practice
Bill Clinton's resignation from the court's practice, or disbarment, was the result of a series of sexual assault and misconduct allegations against him. The most notable case was the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which led to Clinton's impeachment charge of perjury and obstruction of justice. During the deposition for the Paula Jones lawsuit, Clinton denied having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, which was later exposed as untrue. This formed the basis for his impeachment charge.
In the wake of the Lewinsky scandal, a professional conduct committee of the Arkansas Supreme Court initiated legal proceedings against Clinton, seeking to disbar him for giving misleading testimony in the Jones case. Clinton agreed to a deal to suspend his Arkansas law license for five years and pay a $25,000 fine to bring an end to the Lewinsky investigation and avoid potential charges for contempt.
Clinton's lawyers, such as Robert S. Bennett and David Kendall, defended him vigorously, often claiming that the allegations were politically motivated and denying any wrongdoing on Clinton's part. However, the weight of the evidence and public opinion ultimately led to Clinton's disbarment and the end of his legal practice.
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Frequently asked questions
Bill Clinton gave up his law license due to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He was disbarred by the US Supreme Court and had his Arkansas law license suspended for five years.
Monica Lewinsky was a White House intern with whom Clinton admitted to having an inappropriate relationship. This relationship was exposed during the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, where Clinton denied having sexual relations with Lewinsky under oath, leading to his impeachment for perjury.
Paula Jones was an Arkansas state employee who sued Bill Clinton for sexual harassment in 1994. Clinton paid Jones $850,000 in an out-of-court settlement, though he did not acknowledge any wrongdoing.
Yes, there were several other allegations of sexual misconduct against Clinton, including from Juanita Broaddrick, Leslie Millwee, and Kathleen Willey.
