Supreme Court disbars Clinton

In a largely symbolic but deeply embarrassing act, the US Supreme Court yesterday disbarred former President Clinton from practising before it. Mr Clinton has 40 days to appeal, but is not expected to do so.

The disciplinary action was being described as an automatic consequence of Mr Clinton's disbarment from the lower courts as part of an agreement entered into before he left office.

It will nevertheless be extremely galling to many Democrats because of the deeply conservative Supreme Court's role in the election of President George Bush.

Mr Clinton's agreement on January 19th was brokered by his lawyer to put an end to the threat of legal action over the Monica Lewinsky scandal and to satisfy the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct, which was threatening to disbar him for giving misleading testimony in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case.

His law licence was suspended for five years and he paid a $25,000 fine.

The rules of the Supreme Court state: "Whenever a member of the bar of this court has been disbarred or suspended from practice of any court of record, or has engaged in conduct unbecoming a member of the bar of this court, the court will enter an order suspending that member from practice before this court." The court did not give its reasons or vote.

If the decision is not appealed the disbarment becomes permanent, although when Mr Clinton is back in good standing in Arkansas he may ask for it to be lifted. Although many lawyers are admitted to practice at the Supreme Court few do so.

Meanwhile Mr Clinton's daughter, Chelsea (21), yesterday began a two-year course at Oxford University. Ms Clinton is taking up a degree course in international relations at University College, where her father was a Rhodes Scholar between 1968 and 1970.