In a recent development, Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has had his Washington, DC law license suspended following his conviction on three gun crimes. Chief Judge Anna Elizabeth Blackburne-Rigsby of the DC Court of Appeals issued the order, citing the felony convictions as “serious crimes” under the DC Bar rules. The order instructs the DC Bar’s Board of Professional Responsibility to conduct further proceedings in accordance with the bar’s rules.
It is likely that other states will reciprocate the suspension of Biden’s law license, meaning he may soon face suspension in any other state where he is licensed.
Biden was found guilty by a jury in Wilmington, Delaware of unlawfully possessing a gun in 2018 while using drugs and of making false statements related to his drug use during the firearm purchase. This case was brought by special counsel David Weiss and is the first of two trials Biden is facing. Later this year, he will face a tax case in Los Angeles also brought by Weiss.
Biden has requested a new trial in the gun case and his legal team has challenged the prosecution, including arguing that the case violated the Second Amendment. Despite these appeals, they have been unsuccessful.
In recent years, Biden has focused on other ventures rather than practicing law, including releasing a memoir in 2021 and pursuing a career in art. Court filings show that he worked at the law firm Boies Schiller & Flexner from 2009 to 2017.
During the closing arguments of Biden’s gun trial, prosecutors highlighted his education at Yale Law School, referring to him as a “Yale-educated defendant.” They pointed out that as a lawyer, Biden should have understood the legalities of the federal firearm forms he completed when purchasing a revolver in 2018. Biden also previously represented Hong Kong-based businessman Patrick Ho during a Justice Department foreign corruption probe, indirectly receiving $1 million for his services.
