Article IV, Section 5, of the Pennsylvania Constitution is explicit: “No person shall be eligible to the office of attorney general except a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.”
On Monday, the high court temporarily suspended the law license of AG Kathleen Kane, who's facing a felony perjury charge and seven misdemeanors (including obstruction of justice) for allegedly leaking secret grand jury information, supposedly to embarrass her rivals.
The state Disciplinary Board sought the suspension, arguing (and we made the argument first) that it is a conflict of interest for a criminally accused AG to be prosecuting accused criminals. No active license means no active membership in the court's bar. And, in the least, that should mean Kane temporarily is not eligible to function as attorney general.
And while the justices, in a unanimous ruling, stressed that their order “should not be construed as removing” Kane “from elected office,” it should bench her until her case is adjudicated.
But the court's caveat was just the opening and platform that Kane, 49, of Scranton — who denies wrongdoing — needed to reinforce her bunker and fire off another volley of attacks. She thanked the court for “recognizing” her “continuing authority as attorney general” — it did no such thing — then vowed to continue to “root out the culture of misogyny and racially/religiously offensive behavior” of law enforcement and the judiciary that are not germane to her alleged crimes.
It's further evidence that Kathleen Kane is living on another planet.
