Law Graduate denied Michigan law license for being critical of the State Bar
The ABAJournal reports that the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied Frank Lawrence Jr.'s civil rights and First Amendment claim based on Michigan's refusal to grant him a law license. Apparently Lawrence told the Michigan Bar's committee on character and fitness that he had little respect for the state court system, and Lawrence had a website, StateBarWatch, that was critical of Michigan's State Bar. Lawrence was critical of the fact that a majority of the Michigan Supreme Court's justices are hostile to civil rights plaintiffs.
We should welcome attorneys who are critical of the system, otherwise how can we expect to improve the justice system. We should be critical of our government when it warrants criticism, and we should be tolerant of others' criticism whether we agree with it or not.
Lawrence, who stated that he did not regret answering truthfully when the committee asked him about his political beliefs, also said that the federal courts are the guardians of the Constitution. I disagree with this statement - the federal courts should be the guardians of the Constitution, but they neglect that duty far too often. Raise your hand if you think my law license should be yanked for saying so.
