The First Lady “Disciplined” – Can No Longer Practice Law
Posted on August 2, 2009
by Maggie at Maggie’s Notebook
During the presidential campaign, I heard over and over that attorney Michelle Obama had been disbarred. I could not confirm it, so I didn’t write about it. I was on the right track though, because while she was not technically disbarred as far as I know, she was actually ‘disciplined’ and was court mandated “ordered inactive status.”
Michelle Obama Court Mandated Disciplinary Inactive Status
Michelle Lavaughn Robinson Obama, the First Lady of the United States and the wife of U.S. President, Barack Obama, was “disciplined” for something as an attorney, and was not authorized to practice law” in 1993. She did not voluntarily change her status to “inactive,” as in “I don’t want to do this any more,” or “I’ll be traveling Europe for a year, see ya when I get back,” or ” I think I’ll be working at Chicago University for awhile, I’ll get back to you on that license.” No. She didn’t have a choice. (thanks to reader Carolyne).
The above comes from the ARDC (Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois. The graphic belongs to Pamela Atlas Shrugs who blogged about this on December 25th, 2008. Before you run over to Pam’s to see the record up-close-and-personal, and read exactly what the ARDC is, and what they do, stay with me for a minute while I tell you some other things about Michelle Obama, or at least, refresh your memory.
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden are listed on the White House website as part of the White House “administration.” Has that ever happened before…a First Lady and a First Vice Lady shown as “administration?” We didn’t “elect” either to anything. Did Barack Obama “appoint” them to something? Evidently. Do they get paid – other than the occasional visit to Paris and London?
Some information on Michelle Obama’s job while at University of Chicago. You’ll remember that she worked at the hospital prior to her husband becoming an Illinois State Senator. She was paid about $120,000 as Vice President of Community Relations. During this time, Barack was the chair of the Illinois State Senate’s powerful Health and Human Services Committee – “the position tied by some to the Rezko scandal.”
Then State Senator Barack Obama became U.S. Senator Barack Obama and her salary tripled to over $300,000 – for doing the same job but the job title changed to Vice President for External Affairs. In Illinois, being a court-mandated, disciplined and suspended attorney is not a problem.
Here’s more about Michelle by Abraham H. Miller July 5, 2008:
In 2007 the not-for-profit University of Chicago hospital turned out a profit of 143 million, and is up 118 million for 2008. The hospital is scheduled to receive a 30 million infusion from Medicaid, and will be turning some of its Medicaid patients to another hospital to free up space for its private insurance paying patients. According to the (London ) Daily Mail (online), in 2006 the hospital turned away an indigent man, who died.
Now you might ask what does a community relations director at a university do? The question is who does the community relation’s director know?
The answer became apparent when Barack was elected to the U.S. Senate and Michelle’s salary more than doubled. Barack and Michelle were a power couple hooked into the Democratic machine. Tony Rezko cultivated them, the Chicago Way. When the Obamas bought their mansion in trendy Hyde Park-Kenwood, Mrs. Rezko bought the lot next door for asking price in a coordinated deal from the same seller. The Obamas got their house at a discount. Mrs. Rezko paid full price. Later, Mrs. Rezko sold part of the lot to the Obamas to expand their back yard.
Remember the “indigent man” mentioned above? We’ve heard about this the past few days – old but heretofore unreported news, and more than just one “indigent man:”
Last year, 12-year-old Dontae Adams was attacked by a pit bull. His mother immediately took him to the university’s emergency room. However, the staff was more interested in her insurance provider, she says, than they were in treating her son. After learning she has Medicaid, Dontae was promptly redirected to a hospital an hour away.
A few months later, a 78-year-old Medicare patient died in the waiting room after nurses failed to register him for almost four hours.
…these experiences are far from uncommon. The Chicago Tribune reported that 32 percent of patients redirected from the university’s E.R. are poor or uninsured. And people we interviewed outside local clinics said the university would be the last emergency room they would visit.
Read more patient statements at “First Lady Michelle Obama Accused of Patient ‘Dumping.’ Stirring the muddy waters a bit more, this hospital has received millions from the federal government. Keep in mind that “patient dumping” is illegal.
Now however, University of Chicago hospital is on a thrift kick, and they plan to eliminate some key positions and higher-salaried positions. Michelle Obama’s $300,000 job isn’t worth keeping. Poof! – Michelle is gone. Poof! The job is gone. Why pay someone to do a job that you have an insider to do? That would be Michelle inside the White House. Michelle who is a part of the “administration,” according to White House.gov. (thanks to JoshuaPundit).
In June 2008, University of Chicago Medical Center/Hospital announced the construction of a new $700 million “pavilion.” While patients are allegedly dumped, plans for a beautiful new building grows skyward.
University of Chicago Hospital Pavilion
The University of Chicago Medical Center is forging ahead with a major financing plan to pay for a large part of its new hospital pavilion in the face of a turbulent economy that has triggered layoffs and spending reductions at the facility this year.
Why have we not heard that Michelle Obama was disciplined? What did she do? Isn’t that something Americans should know? The graphic you see above of the documentation of her court mandated status may have been removed from the ARDC website. I searched for it using the same topic that Atlas Shrugs used. I searched for it several ways and there appears to be no Michelle Obama in the records. You can look at the url that Pamela used, duplicate it and you get a 404 error – page not found. It is extraordinary that a First Lady of the United States could be a “disciplined” lawyer no longer allowed to practice.
This First Couple reminds me of the reign of the Perons.
» Filed Under Barack Obama, Cronyism, Government corruption, Healthcare, Medical Malpractice/ethics, Michelle Obama, News, Politics As Usual, President
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10 Responses to “The First Lady “Disciplined” – Can No Longer Practice Law”
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I was at the University of Chicago Hospitals when Michelle got her $200,000 raise.
At the same time they were slashing Information Technology budgets and jobs.
I was an IT contractor there and my position wasn’t renewed.
If you are a patient there, better hope the computer system doesn’t crash, if it does, you better hope they know how to restore it.
you are either blind or stupid. she is “voluntarily inactive” because she failed to renew her licence. if there was any disbarrment or any disciplinary action, it would say so, these do not go away….instead it clearly says “none”
wilbur,
It says there was/is no PUBLIC discipline or proceedings against her — which means she could be under SEALED or PRIVATE discipline. It also says she’s voluntarily inactive UNDER COURT ORDER.
Unless Illinois courts order lawyers to quit practicing law EVERY TIME lawyers fail to renew licenses, and ONLY because they fail to renew licenses, how could you POSSIBLY KNOW that’s why she was ordered to become inactive?
And why would a lawyer fail to renew a license to practice law only 4 or 5 years after passing the bar exam, when the lawyer isn’t wealthy, isn’t birthing children, and isn’t moving out of the state? Common sense should tell you it doesn’t add up.
Perhaps your devotion to Obama and his communism has made YOU the blind, stupid one.
I am neither devoted to Obama, nor a communist. I also am not a conspiracy nut who believes that the absense of facts means that there are “secret facts” that support my wishful thinking.
There is NO SUCH THING as private, or sealed disciplinary actions. All actions taken by the board are public, and their determinations are public records…that’s why they have a website. Any action, be it big or small goes on the attorneys record and stays there. Here is an example of one from 1993
https://www.iardc.org/ldetail.asp?id=915614247
The record clearly statesd her status is “voluntary inactive”. How does one attain that status…there is only one way, you petion the court, and it issues an order. Here’s the law
(5) An attorney may advise the Administrator in writing that he or she desires to assume inactive status and, thereafter, register as an inactive status attorney. The annual registration fee for an inactive status attorney shall be $105. Upon such registration, the attorney shall be placed upon inactive status and shall no longer be eligible to practice law or hold himself or herself out as being authorized to practice law in this Sstate, except as is provided in paragraph (j) of this rule. An attorney who is on the master roll as an inactive status attorney may advise the Administrator in writing that he or she desires to resume the practice of law, and thereafter register as active upon payment of the registration fee required under this rule and submission of verification from the Director of MCLE that he or she has complied with MCLE requirements as set forth in Rule 790 et seq. If the attorney returns from inactive status after having paid the inactive status fee for the year, the attorney shall pay the difference between the inactive status registration fee and the registration fee required under paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(4) of this rule. Inactive status under this rule does not include inactive disability status as described in Rules 757 and 758. Any lawyer on inactive disability status is not required to pay an annual fee.
(7) An attorney who is on voluntary inactive status pursuant to former Rule 770 who wishes to register for any year after 1999 shall file a petition for restoration under Rule 759. If the petition is granted, the attorney shall advise the Administrator in writing whether he or she wishes to register as active, inactive or retired, and shall pay the fee required for that status for the year in which the restoration order is entered. Any such attorney who petitions for restoration after December 31, 2000, shall pay a sum equal to the annual registration fees that the attorney would have been required to pay for each full year after 1999 during which the attorney remained on Rule 770 inactive status without payment of a fee.
and an explanation of the process
Prior to November 1, 1999, former Supreme Court Rule 770 provided for a proceeding in the Court for any voluntary transfer to inactive status, whether because of some incapacitating condition or solely as a matter of the lawyer’s preference because the lawyer would not be practicing law.
The current registration rules provide a procedure for lawyers on Court-ordered inactive status under former Supreme Court Rule 770 who might wish to register. Whatever registration status the lawyer wishes to assume (active, inactive, or retired), the lawyer must first file a motion with the Supreme Court for restoration to active status under Rule 759. The motion process is necessary to screen for those who transferred due to circumstances that require some review of present fitness, and the motions will be contested only in such cases. In all other cases, the ARDC will consent to the transfer, and when a consent is submitted, the Supreme Court typically allows the motion within a few weeks of when it is filed.
Why would she change her liscence to inactive status?
In 1993, she gave up the practice of law and took a job as the CEO of a nonprofit…she never returned to practicing law.
This is hardly uncommon, many people give up practicing law and do something else, I am one of them.
So lets recap…
1. she petioned the court, and the court ordered that her status be changed to voluntary inactive. Thus she cannot practice law.
2. She has never been disciplined, the record clearly says “none” where any disciplinary proceedings or decisions would be noted.
3. Under the malpractice issurance line it says “no report required” because she has petioned the court, and the court has ordered, that she is no longer an active attorney.
And so the courts order attorneys not to practice law if they do not renew their registrations? you bet they do.
Supreme Court Rule 756 provides that on February 1 of each year, the ARDC must remove from the master roll the name of any lawyer who has not registered for that year. The rule also provides that any lawyer who practices law while not on the master roll engages in the unauthorized practice of law and may be held in contempt. ARDC sends a Final Registration Notice in January, warning unregistered attorneys that they will be removed from the master roll if they do not register. Shortly after the removal, ARDC sends notice of an attorney’s removal to the attorney and to the Chief Judges and Clerks of the circuit courts in which the removed attorney was registered.
If you have been removed from the master roll for failure to register, you can be reinstated by registering and paying the registration fee and any penalty due
I’s sorry pal. but if this is an example of your work, the only way you are going to stop the ACLU is if they become so weak with laughter at your feeble reasoning that they just fall over.
(crickets)
still
(crickets)
Wilbur, I have a new update on this that I will have up here tonight or tomorrow. What is now clear, when you look at the Rules, Rule 770 NEVER was used for just simply going inactive. It does allow an attorney to VOLUNTARILY go inactive when there is some review or disciplinary action going on. When a lawyer chooses to do this, but later wants to become active again, the review or discipline under Rule 770 continues before the decision is made to restore the law license. Under Rule 770, you can go inactive voluntarily, but it is court mandated, and you cannot practice
To go inactive, just because you no longer want to practice, Rule 756 is used.
This is one of the more ignorant pieces of false information — another witch hunt attempting to discredit the Obamas and poorly disguised as “news.”
There are so many errors in information and assumptions presented as fact that it is hard to choose one, but having worked in health care for many years, I will address the issue of patient dumping. First, a person employed to foster “community relations” or “esternal affairs” would have no authority to set policy on the acceptance of patients. Regardless, the practice of sending stable patients to hospitals that accept the uninsured is widespread and is not, in and of itself, patient dumping. At any rate, I seriously doubt it is a policy implemented during Mrs. Obama’s tenure, but rather a long standing policy that has nothing to do with her. Do you think she demanded a raise or was offered a raise? If she demanded it I wonder why she wouldn’t have demanded more? When is the last time you turned down a raise?
I am increasingly disgusted by the riff-raff of America who can’t put together a legitimate discourse on whatever their true concerns are, so resort to this kind of “reporting” that simply highlights their ignorance and incompetence.
@ Kim Ross: speaking of “riff-raff” just consider Michelle Obama and her mentor Valerie Jarrett who absolutely did bring about the scenario in this article. You may “seriously doubt” it, but I do not.
Remember, Obama and the Mrs. are telling us that our doctors are performing amputations and tonsillectomies, just for the money. To them, and apparently to you, our current health care system is nothing but evil. I see it the other way around.
I do not turn down raises, however, who do you know, in a hospital, whose salary was tripled?
The referenced web site clearly states that Ms. Obama “is on court ordered inactive status.” She did not quit practicing law, she was required to quit.