Former D.C. criminal defense lawyer William Borders Jr. makes no excuses for the crimes he committed 22 years ago that led to his disbarment. Caught in a Federal Bureau of Investigation sting operation, he was found guilty of conspiracy to bribe then-federal Judge Alcee Hastings. He spent three years in prison.
But when President Bill Clinton pardoned Borders on his last day of office in 2001, Borders thought his long path of repentance and rehabilitation had finally brought him to a point where he could resume his law practice -- and redirect it toward helping young people and the community.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit did not agree, ruling that the pardon did not automatically entitle Borders to reinstatement.
Now Borders is before the Supreme Court in a potential landmark case that asks the justices to interpret the scope of the pardon power, one of the most sweeping powers of the presidency.
Sounds like an interesting case to me. The Legal Times has the story here via Law.com.