The D.C. Court of Appeals on Tuesday suspended Hunter Biden’s license to practice law, citing his felony convictions on gun charges.
The suspension kicks off a formal proceeding with an investigation into Biden’s crime and more lasting consequences.
Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby said the investigation must determine if Biden’s crime “involves moral turpitude.”
A federal jury in Delaware convicted Biden earlier this month of three counts related to his purchase and possession of a gun while a user of unlawful drugs.
Biden had faced several challenges to his law license, including one filed soon after the conviction by Wayne L. Johnson, a retired Navy commander and member of the Judge Advocate General Corps.
“The D.C. Bar, nor any other state bar, should want such a lowlife as a member,” Mr. Johnson told The Washington Times at the time.
D.C. bar records show that Robert H. Biden was admitted on April 9, 2007, and was still listed in “good standing” as of Tuesday afternoon.
Under bar rules, Biden’s suspension was automatic. The rules say any felony counts as a “serious crime” and once the court has been notified of a conviction of a serious crime, “the Court shall enter an order immediately suspending the attorney” and begin a formal proceeding to determine final discipline.
Judge Blackburne-Rigsby said the felony convictions meet the definition of “serious crimes” in the District.
Biden, who has yet to be sentenced on the gun charges, has moved to have his convictions overturned on several legal grounds.
He also still faces another federal trial on tax evasion charges.
Biden attended Yale Law School. He made use of his legal training in his business dealings, including being hired by a Ukrainian energy firm in 2014, while his father was vice president.
More recently, Biden has been working as an artist.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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