The State Supreme Court has suspended Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s law license.
The suspension is temporary but it does raise questions about whether it makes Kane ineligible for her office.
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.”
Nevertheless the Court made sure to note in its short opinion that it was not removing Kane from office.
The full order is presented below:
PER CURIAM:
AND NOW, this 21st day of September, 2015, upon consideration of the responses to a Rule to Show Cause why Kathleen Granahan Kane should not be placed on temporary suspension, the Rule is made absolute; Respondent Kathleen Granahan Kane is placed on temporary suspension; and, to the extent applicable, she shall comply with all the provisions of Pa.R.D.E. 217.
Respondent’s rights to petition for dissolution or amendment of this order pursuant to Pa.R.D.E. 208(f)(4), and to request accelerated disposition of charges underlying this order pursuant to Pa.R.D.E. 208(f)(6), are specifically preserved.
This order should not be construed as removing Respondent from elected office and is limited to the temporary suspension of her license to practice law.
UPDATE: The Attorney General’s office released the following statement:
While I am disappointed in the court’s action I am grateful that the court recognized my constitutional rights both as a democratically elected official and as a citizen of the Commonwealth. The court, in specifically recognizing my continuing authority as Attorney General of the Commonwealth, today allows me to continue the good works of this office: work which has transformed our war on sex crimes and fraud; work which will also root out the culture of misogyny and racially/religiously offensive behavior that has permeated law enforcement and members of the judiciary in this Commonwealth for years.
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61 Responses
Maybe Rep Brown plans to put Fina on the stand.
If Wolf is even considering Abraham for A.G. we should start a recall petition.
I’m intrigued by the latest developments in the Sting case. So, Rep Brown all of a sudden was able to hire a high priced attorney. I wonder what her new attorney knows that makes them believe they can win? I just hope that Seth and Fina have to answer for their anti women emails and decisions. Fina is a serious perv and with Kane being suspended the corrupt Supreme Court should suspend Fina as well because he is an embarrassment to the legal profession. I guess they can’t suspend Fina for the emails since Justice Eakin was in the porn ring too.
Hey fools I still have a job … You can’t take out Kane, not as long as Uncle Louis, is supporting her!
I’m baaaaaack. To make one quick remark:
Dan Brier is representing Rep. Brown!!
Wow. This just got REALLY interesting.
POPCORN is ready.
Rey Q – You may have missed it, but from the start, that Court was involved. Two Justices were on this vile Fina e-mail thread. One Justice has been forced to resign. Another – who certainly has a motive to destroy Kane – is still on the Bench.
Can’t imagine a more “tainted” tribunal.
Imagine your family member had a criminal case and you find out now that the prosecutor was sending bestiality videos to the Court … or vice-versa. This does not inspire confidence in the criminal justice system.
@ Real Talk – That trial figures to be a HUGE embarrassment to Williams and Fina. I predict that they find a way not to do it. It’s been rumored that Mr. Ali – the star witness – has now left the country … probably spending the $400,000.00 that Fina let him keep. Maybe the D.A. all say he is not ready. These two were smart not to take the ridiculously generous no-punishment “deals” dished out by Fina’s team in Philly.
What does former AG Corbett have to say about the matter.
gulagPittsburgh,
The court is also part of the conspiracy now?
Wait … So the reports that it was a 5-0 vote are false?
Rey Q, you must be a GOP or Trump advisor. So if it is only part of the court is it still unanimous? Clearly, you are misinformed or confused. Per curiam is used to obscure and obfuscate. As another person commented, COWARDLY is a good description of a Per Curiam. Often it means CORRUPT too.
Observer, I have not been surprised by corruption in PA courts for decades, but sometimes am shocked by the level of duplicity and stupidity.
Other more corrupt courts can be found in Russia, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Cuba, and China. But hardly company that PA should be proud to keep. Nowhere else in USA is as corrupt.
In law, a per curiam decision (or opinion) is a ruling issued by an appellate court of multiple judges in which the decision rendered is made by the court (or at least, a majority of the court) acting collectively and unanimously.
Sorry “interested observer”, but “per curiam” does not mean unanimous. It means they are not telling how the vote went, and you cannot make us. Who voted how is a secret.
I wonder why Lynne Abraham was parked in the governors parking space at the capitol today? She her getting in her car and driving away at 2:15 today. Was she already interviewing for the AG appointment?
I cant wait to see the Vanessa Brown trial play out now that she has a top shelf lawyer … I wonder how she was able to get Brier or where she got the money for him, he’s not cheap, I think he was the one that got Mellow off from all the turnpike charges Kane filed against him.
I can’t wait to see Fina testify under oath about his love of porn, racism and anti-woman beliefs to a mixed race, mixed gender jury … I’m going to take off work to watch this circus and enjoy some POPCORN and Root beer.
I’m not a lawyer and I’m just an average Joe but it looks like Seth’s case is falling apart and Brown and Bishop are going to walk.
Also, Per Curiam does NOT mean unanimous! Where did that idiotic notion come from? Per Curiam literally means “For the Court” and is the usual way for cowards to keep their names and reasoning out of public scrutiny. This could have been unanimous, 4-1, 3-2, 3-0 with two abstentions – the Cowards will not tell us.
The level of corruption in the PA Courts is no longer any surprise. If there is a more corrupt judiciary anywhere in the world, I’d love to hear about it.
ABCDEF, why are you looking for rationality or logic from a PA appellate court? They always put such nonsense in “Per Curiam” opinions, so nobody knows who to blame and because these are ususally not reported and have no precedent. So they are meaningless to anything except whoever paid them off.
Note all ye premature ejaculators of celebration, Kane is only suspended, not disbarred, so is technically still a member of the bar, just inactive temporarily. Wait for the trial; no evidence has been provided yet.
Where did the Pa Supreme court find time to get off the golf course or the bar stool at the country club to make this ruling? Kane is a Democrat too. How could this be. I filed a complaint against a Pittsburgh attorney with ironclad evidence of his wrong doing and he got off with slap on the wrist. He’s a Democrat that’s why.
The D.O.S. does not have the disciplinary actions up for August and today is 9/21. Wolf is doing such an outstanding job of Nothing. If you need to file a complaint with the State AG be sure you can wait at least 5 years before they respond.
Anyone think “HER OWN PEOPLE” get more credibility because shills here have labeled them as such? Yeah … I didn’t think so.
According to the GJ report, HER OWN PEOPLE can’t say much. HER OWN PEOPLE can’s explain Morrow changing his story. This is not going to be about HER OWN PEOPLE. It is going to be about evidence … proof .. and whether the jury wants to allow a pack of pervert racist creeps to take down a sitting Attorney General.
At this point – they have given Kane’s lawyers so much material to request a change of venue that the case may need to be held in Rhode Island. As long as they have POPCORN there …
Observer #2, you are willfully obtuse. You have decided to ignore the obvious because Kane is a Democrat. If she were a Republican in the same exact circumstances, you would be calling for her head. HER OWN PEOPLE testified against her. She has only herself to blame.
Wolf as governor can take direct action to remove Kane if he has the votes in the PA Senate. which he does. given the polls on this website and elsewhere that favor this, one is very surprised at today’s comments implying that wolf will be in any political danger by doing so.
by the way, Kane’s driver has been indicted and is awaiting trial for his shenanigans . we don’t hear much about him because he’s not getting paid attorneys or PR from the AG office to spread his gospel, unlike other AG employees….
“Bipartisan decision.” Immaterial. There are Dems who are out to get Kane, not just Reps. I did not imply that a “political operation” is played only by Republicans. She’s been framed from Day 1. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it— and with AG Kane.
H3 — I respect that answer. I too, cannot wait to see the sting trials. Especially Brown’s. Just read that Dan Brier is representing her. No clue how she can afford him but HOLY SHIT!
POPCORN!
Diano, the Court included that line because the Court has no power under our state constitution to remove Kane from office. The Governor and Senate, however, do have that power. And the grounds are there if she does not have an active license to practice law. She does remain a member of the bar, but is not in active status to sign documents, appear in court, etc.
@ DD & HHH:
Y’all may wish to consult-backwards on this website, starting with the following…
https://www.politicspa.com/report-kane-committed-second-act-of-perjury/69284/#comments
…and then to prepare your serially-delayed mea-culpa document.
All your cites of FF, et al. are moot, all your machinations about the political process have been finessed [including questioning the motives of DA-Risa], all your tangential impugning of the TEA [“taxed enough already”] Party Movement reflecting your debased intellectual-bankruptcy have properly been ignored, and all your defamatory rhetoric [directed @ those against whom you manufacture hatred based on apocryphal conjurings] has been dismissed as having emanated from ravings by people who consider posting their random thoughts as “sport.”
Anyone wish to render a prognostication as to whether she’s gone by month’s end?
I am feeling the same as I’ve always felt …
The truth is that Kane has been in over her head from Day 1. She made dumb decisions and let her hatred for Fina control her. As much as I have said that prosecutors should not act as Fina has … they should also not act as Kane has.
DD may be a D operative. But I am not. I just like it when the truth comes out. My guess is that Kane has some more bullets in that clip … and I can’t wait until she uses them. Is it so wrong to be looking forward to the trial? I don’t know which one will be better – the steaming pile of dung (sting) trial or Kane’s perjury trial …. Popcorn for both!!!
Who’s is feeling some kind of way?!?!!!
I know DD is!
I know H3 is!
This POPCORN is goooooooood!
How is AG Kane a “crook,” Ryan?
This was bipartisan decision. The political whining needs to stop. Both sides realize she is a crook!
The order by the PA Supreme Court was “per curiam” which means that all 5 Justices agreed – both Democrats and all 3 Republicans. There was no party split on the temporary suspension — all 5 felt it was necessary.
That suggests to me that this not a political decision.
Also, all the filings are available here:
http://www.pacourts.us/news-and-statistics/cases-of-public-interest/office-of-disciplinary-counsel-v-kathleen-granahan-kane
We shall see if Kane committed felonies. that’s what her trial is for, right?
It doesn’t matter how many times you shills call them “porn” e-mails …. because this ain’t porn:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zadock1/3579812419
Man, dis fake Larry keeps making comments, I’m da Real Larry on here … It looks like when you become AG you give up your right to due process when you have a corrupt supreme court. I hope the Fed’s keep up their investigation into the PA Supreme Court! Kane is done and we can all agree to that but hopefully this soap opera results in the state criminal justice system being cleaned up from the top down.
HaHaHa, “zero evidence”? Get your head out of the sand! Her own people testified against her. They offered very compelling testimony. Porn emails have absolutely nothing to do with this case, because Fina has nothing to do with this case. Why are you so obsessed with Fina and his emails? Did he prosecute you for something? It is astonishing how fixated you are with Fina and porn emails. Try looking at the evidence against Kane — she has no defense whatsoever.
HaHaHa, it would be fine with me if Fina lost his job for that, but his conduct is not only irrelevant to Kane’s conduct and charges, but also it is nowhere near as serious. Arguing that he stole state resources is a stretch at best; more likely he violated an office policy. Kane, meanwhile, committed a felony that our state constitution lists as grounds for being barred from office. Yes, she still gets her day in court, but her conduct plus her ability to affect many more people led to this unanimous decision by the Supreme Court.
Steve – there is zero evidence that AG Kane illegally leaked grand jury testimony.
If you want to “get this right,” take a look at the creeps that have been targeting the AG for this smear campaign. Go down to City Hall to look at their e-mails like I did. Notice how they are illegally leaking things to the Press just about every day.
Larry – Why do Fina and Costanzo still have their law licenses? They misappropriated State resources. They used their government computer to view and distribute pictures of little kids in sexual positions … a picture of a white man being attacked by two black men for his fried chicken … an e-mail suggesting that a wife’s place is in the home …. ironing and fornicating … an e-mail that female employees need to perform oral sex on their bosses to succeed at work.
They did all this on the taxpayers’ dime. Have they paid that money back? Have they apologized to the kid Sandusky raped while they watched bestiality porn at work?
What’s good for the goose is good for the perverts, no?
Would people get this one fact straight….she will have her day in court. That is her right. But it is not her RIGHT to stay on as Attorney General, the person who brings criminal charges against others, while she is facing criminal charges herself. That’s the big difference from “charged” state Reps or other lawyers.
Besides, from all the evidence, this is not a close call. Her staff has testified against her. She signed a document knowing she could not leak grand jury testimony. There is no reason to pull down the office of Attorney General while she unsuccessfully tries to spin her lame defense.
The Senate and Govern should remove her.
Hi, sorry to divert off the main topic but can anyone tell me whatever happened to her driver? Also, what happened to the Dave Peifer guy who also the paper stated did the same as the driver and who testified against her. Does he lose his job if they say he also committed a crime at the least? Thanks.
HaHaHa, you weren’t addressing me, but I’d like to have one example of Kane “counter-punching.” She has been on a steady slide toward the end of her career for quite some time now. Any attempt at a defense has left the most liberal of reporters scratching their heads. She’s got nothing. She’s done.
Multi-tasker-
“This order should not be construed as removing Respondent from elected office”
If Wolf proceeds against her, contrary to this clear clarification from the court, he is really begging for a primary challenge in 2018.
I guess the question is: If you are “suspended” and your license has not been “revoked”, are you still a member of the bar?
ABC, McCullough can’t put anyone in prison. McCullough doesn’t have the power to fire grand jury witnesses against him. McCullough doesn’t head up an 800-person agency that is crucial to our state’s criminal justice system.
LOL … Whatever you say, kanesdriver.
You have only been wrong 275 straight times. Maybe this time it will happen. But I doubt it. Kane is a good counter-puncher. just look at the tattered lives/careers of Fina and Costanzo. They had to beg to keep their low-level DA jobs. They can’t go anywhere without people thinking of this:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zadock1/3579812419
PS – I have heard that Fina sent that one to his wife. I wonder if he sent her these (from Philly Mag):
“The very first image [was] part of an email from Fina to two colleagues — depicts a topless woman on her back, giving oral sex to a man in a dress shirt. It is captioned in the style of a motivational poster: “WILLINGNESS: Bend over backwards to do an exceptional job.”
The next image? Another woman. Also giving oral sex. “DEVOTION: Making your boss happy is your only job.”
The next image in the set featured anal sex.”
Time to suspend this politically motivated court? I’m with Kane all the way.
Kane herself aside, this is ridiculous. The Court suspending a license on the basis of these charges — without a conviction, is beyond comprehension.
Can someone please ask the Court why Chuck McCullough, who has been CONVICTED of stealing client money, and diverting some of it to Republican campaigns, still has his law license?
H3, your insipid reference to popcorn notwithstanding, she can now be easily booted from office for lacking the qualifications. And Governor Wolf already has found her replacement, so the process will start imminently.
kanesdriver … oh kanesdriver …. where ARE you … ???
This will be the 6th or 7th time that the shills prematurely celebrate Kane’s demise. As the Court ruled, Kane is still in Office … still the AG … and still on course for a trial in the Spring.
POPCORN will be ready.
Come ye, all Kane apologists, and set forth your lamentations of politically based chicanery and tomfoolery! Let us hear your wailing in spite of Kane being caught red-handed! Let us hear your predictions that she will win another term as AG before becoming our Governor! Let us hear about old white Christian Republican cisgendered men, despite the key damning testimony coming from Democrats who worked closely with Kane!
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!