Court suspends Pennsylvania attorney general’s law license

“The suspension is temporary but it does raise questions about whether it makes Kane ineligible for her office”, Politics PA’s managing editor, Nick Field, wrote.

“While we are disappointed in the findings of the Supreme Court, we do take comfort in the fact that the Supreme Court’s order specifies that she stays in office and that she’s not removed”, said Mundy.

The charges stem from Kane allegedly leaking confidential grand jury information and then lying about it.

That could result in another perjury charge on top of the one she already faces, Field wrote. Gov. Tom Wolf, a fellow Democrat, called on Kane to resign after she was charged August 6.

Losing her license, if only temporarily, is the latest black eye for Kane.

Kane says she plans to keep fighting to clear her name while serving out the rest of her term in office.

The court’s ruling backs up the state disciplinary board’s finding that by keeping her law license, Kathleen Kane is causing, “immediate and substantial public harm”. That allegation is also central to the criminal case against her.

Kane released a statement in response to the development on Monday afternoon, citing the “culture of misogyny and racially/religiously offensive behavior” among Pennsylvania law enforcement and members of the judiciary. She had been motivated to publicly embarrass two former state prosecutors who had been publicly critical of her, prosecutors said.

Kane has maintained she did nothing wrong.

Article IV, Section 5 of the Pennsylvania Constitution states that: “

No person shall be eligible to the office of Attorney General except a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.”

In the Senate, the potential for the court’s action has prompted Senate lawyers to research a never-used constitutional provision that allows a two-thirds vote of senators to remove certain elected officials.

However, Kane’s current lawyers say she did not disclose grand jury material or information kept secret under state criminal records laws.

Rafferty’s primary opponent for attorney general Republican State Representative Todd Stephens, 151st district, also called on Kane to step down on Monday.