Barack and Michelle Obama Law Licenses are Voluntarily Retired and Inactive Status-Truth!

Obama's Law Licenses Are In Voluntarily Retired and Inactive Status-Truth!

Summary of the eRumor:
A forwarded email that says that both Barack and Michelle Obama voluntarily surrendered their law licenses.

The Truth:
The law license of Barack Obama was voluntarily retired and Michelle Obama's license was voluntarily placed in inactive status according to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois (IARDC). Neither of them are practicing law at this time nor do their present jobs require a law license. Both records indicate no public record of discipline or pending proceedings and we have not found any evidence of malpractice.

A spokesperson the IlIARDC told TruthOrFiction.com that neither Barack nor Michelle Obama had any history of disciplinary actions.

Screen shots from IARDC showing Obama license status

updated 09/16/10

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

Former Constitutional Law Lecturer and US President Makes Up Constitutional Quotes During

State Of The Union (SOTU) Address.

Consider this:

1. President Barack Obama, former editor of the Harvard Law Review, is NO longer a "lawyer".
He surrendered his license back in 2008 in order to escape charges he lied on his bar application. A "Voluntary Surrender" is NOT something where you decide "Gee, a license is not really something I need anymore, is it?" and forget to renew your license. No, a "Voluntary Surrender" is something you do when you've been accused of something, and you 'voluntarily surrender" you license five seconds before the state suspends you.
2. Michelle Obama "voluntarily surrendered" her law license in 1993.
3. So, we have the first black President and First Lady - who do NOT actually have licenses to practice law. Facts.

Source: http://jdlong.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/pres-barack-obama-editor-of-the-Harvard-law-review-has-no-law-license/