WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Former President Bill Clinton, facing the possibility of being barred from practicing law before the U.S. Supreme Court because of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, has resigned instead, his lawyer said Friday.
David Kendall did not elaborate on why Clinton decided to resign.
Clinton's resignation from the Supreme Court bar will have little practical impact. Clinton has not practiced before the Supreme Court and was not expected to argue any cases in the future.
On Oct. 1, the Supreme Court suspended Clinton from practicing before the court and gave him 40 days to show why he should not be disbarred.
On Jan. 19, the day before leaving office, Clinton admitted giving false, evasive statements about his relationship with the former White House intern Lewinsky. Under a deal with the independent counsel, Clinton accepted a five-year suspension of his license to practice law in Arkansas and a $25,000 fine.
The Arkansas suspension triggered the high court case titled, "In the matter of discipline of Bill Clinton."