Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, is set to be permanently stripped of his law license in Washington, D.C., after submitting an affidavit on April 1, 2025, consenting to disbarment, a move that follows a recommendation from the D.C. Bar’s Board on Professional Responsibility. The D.C. Court of Appeals, the highest appellate court in the district and overseer of the D.C. Bar, must now accept the board’s recommendation and Biden’s consent to finalize the disbarment, marking the latest chapter in a yearslong legal saga that has drawn intense scrutiny. Biden’s law license is under a temporary disciplinary suspension since June 2024, following his conviction on federal gun charges in Delaware, though a sweeping pardon from his father in December 2024 spares him from prison time. As of 01:56 PM PDT on April 2, 2025, the case is reigniting debates over privilege, accountability, and the intersection of politics and justice, with critics questioning the fairness of the pardon and the disciplinary process.
Biden’s legal troubles stem from a series of events beginning with his purchase of a Colt Cobra .38 Special revolver on October 12, 2018, at StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington, Delaware. Federal law prohibits individuals who are unlawful users of controlled substances from possessing firearms, and Biden, who has openly documented his struggles with crack cocaine addiction in his 2021 memoir “Beautiful Things,” is accused of lying on the ATF Form 4473 by denying his drug use. The gun is discovered 11 days later by Hallie Biden, his sister-in-law and then-girlfriend, who finds it unloaded in his truck, panics, and discards it in a garbage bin at Janssen’s Market. A man retrieves it from the trash, leading to police involvement, though the case is initially closed due to lack of cooperation from Biden, who is considered the victim. However, the incident resurfaces in 2023 when Special Counsel David Weiss, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, indicts Biden on three felony counts: making a false statement on a gun purchase application, making a false statement to a federally licensed gun dealer, and possessing a firearm while being an unlawful user of a controlled substance.
The trial, which begins on June 3, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware, under U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, is a historic first for the child of a sitting president. Prosecutors present evidence including text messages Biden sent to family and alleged drug dealers, such as one sent the day after the purchase stating he is “waiting for a dealer named Mookie,” and another the following day admitting to “sleeping on a car smoking crack on 4th Street and Rodney.” They also rely heavily on Biden’s memoir, which details his addiction during the period in question. Biden’s defense, led by attorney Abbe Lowell, does not dispute his history of substance abuse but argues that on the day of the purchase, Biden does not consider himself an active drug user. The jury, composed of six women and six men, deliberates for three hours over two days and finds Biden guilty on all three counts on June 11, 2024. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and fines up to $750,000, though as a first-time offender, Biden is unlikely to face significant jail time.
The conviction triggers immediate consequences for Biden’s law license. On June 25, 2024, the D.C. Court of Appeals, led by Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, suspends Biden’s license to practice law in Washington, D.C., citing the felony convictions as “serious crimes” under D.C. Bar rules. The court orders the Board on Professional Responsibility to initiate formal disciplinary proceedings to determine if the offenses involve “moral turpitude,” a designation that would mandate disbarment. The Office of the Disciplinary Counsel, which prosecutes disciplinary cases for the D.C. Bar, sends a letter to the court on June 17, 2024, proposing Biden’s immediate suspension, a standard procedure for felony convictions regardless of pending appeals. Biden, who has been licensed to practice law in D.C. since 2007 after earning his Juris Doctor from Yale University in 1996, has not worked as an attorney in recent years, instead focusing on his memoir and a fledgling art career. His past legal work includes a stint at the high-profile firm Boies Schiller & Flexner from 2009 to 2017 and representing Hong Kong businessman Patrick Ho, who is later convicted of bribery and money laundering.
Biden’s legal woes extend beyond the gun case. In September 2024, as jury selection is set to begin in a separate federal tax evasion case in Los Angeles, he enters a surprise guilty plea to nine counts, including three felonies, for failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2014 and 2019. The charges, also brought by Weiss, carry a potential 17-year prison sentence and $1.35 million in fines. The tax case involves allegations that Biden spent millions on drugs, escorts, exotic cars, and big-game hunting trips while neglecting his tax obligations, with prosecutors noting that his drug use cannot “explain away” his failure to pay taxes on income earned through his “last name.” Sentencing for both cases is scheduled for December 2024, but on December 1, 2024, President Joe Biden issues a sweeping pardon for his son, covering all federal offenses Hunter “has committed or may have committed” from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024. The pardon, announced a month before Biden leaves office, spares Hunter from sentencing in both cases, prompting U.S. District Judge Noreika to dismiss the gun case on December 3, 2024, and Judge Mark Scarsi in Los Angeles to indicate he will dismiss the tax case once the pardon is formally received.
The pardon sparks significant controversy. President Biden, who repeatedly pledges during his term not to interfere in his son’s legal proceedings, faces criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for reversing his stance. In his statement, Biden claims Hunter is “selectively and unfairly prosecuted,” alleging the charges are instigated by “political opponents in Congress” to undermine his 2020 election. Critics, including some Democrats, argue the pardon undermines the rule of law and Biden’s legacy, with U.S. District Judge Scarsi rejecting Biden’s claim of political targeting, noting that two judges had dismissed similar arguments from Hunter’s defense. Prosecutors in both cases oppose dismissing the charges, arguing that a pardon should not erase the cases “as if they never occurred.” The Justice Department special counsel also opposes dismissing the tax case, highlighting the broader implications for legal accountability.
Despite the pardon, the D.C. Bar’s disciplinary process continues, as a presidential pardon does not automatically restore a law license under D.C. law, though the court has discretion to vacate or modify a disbarment order upon a pardon. On April 1, 2025, Biden files a sealed affidavit with the D.C. Court of Appeals, consenting to disbarment, a voluntary decision that avoids protracted disciplinary proceedings over whether his convictions warrant permanent disbarment. The Board on Professional Responsibility recommends that the court accept Biden’s consent, but Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton Fox, a Democrat, seals the affidavit, arguing that public release would be “unfair” given the “intense media scrutiny” of Biden’s crimes and his father’s pardon. This move draws criticism on platforms like X, where users question the transparency of the process, with one post noting, “The question remains: why seal the affidavit if there’s nothing to hide?” Others argue the pardon should mitigate the disciplinary action, while some see the disbarment as a necessary consequence of Biden’s actions, regardless of the pardon.
Biden’s legal journey is marked by several failed attempts to dismiss the charges. His attorneys, including Lowell, argue that the gun case violates the Second Amendment, citing a 2023 Supreme Court ruling expanding gun rights, a decision President Biden denounces as an affront to “common sense and the Constitution.” They also challenge Weiss’s appointment as special counsel, claiming it violates the Appointments Clause, an argument bolstered by a July 2024 ruling by Judge Aileen Cannon dismissing a case against President-elect Donald Trump on similar grounds. However, these appeals are unsuccessful, with a Third Circuit panel in May 2024 rejecting Biden’s bid to dismiss the gun charges, and U.S. District Judge Noreika ordering the trial to proceed. Biden also requests a new trial post-conviction, alleging the Delaware court lacked jurisdiction, but this motion is denied.
The historical context of Biden’s legal battles is intertwined with his father’s political career. Hunter’s business dealings, particularly with Ukrainian energy company Burisma, where he served on the board from 2014 to 2019, become a focal point during Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, with Republicans alleging corruption. A Senate GOP report in 2020 highlights Biden’s $1 million payment to represent Patrick Ho, tying it to broader concerns about foreign influence. Congressional Republicans launch an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden in 2023, focusing on Hunter’s activities, though the effort stalls by 2024. Hunter’s struggles with addiction, detailed in his memoir, also play a public role, with emotional testimony during the gun trial from ex-partners, including his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, who describes searching his car for drugs to protect their three daughters.
Breaking news updates as of 01:56 PM PDT on April 2, 2025, confirm that the D.C. Court of Appeals has not yet ruled on the disbarment recommendation, though legal experts anticipate a decision within weeks, given Biden’s consent. Posts on X reflect ongoing public debate, with some users arguing that the pardon should not shield Biden from professional consequences, while others question whether the disciplinary process is influenced by political bias, noting Fox’s decision to seal the affidavit. Additionally, the dismissal of Biden’s tax case in Los Angeles is formalized on April 1, 2025, following the pardon, closing another chapter of his legal saga.
The disbarment proceedings highlight broader questions about accountability and privilege in the U.S. legal system. Critics argue that Biden’s pardon exemplifies favoritism, pointing to the rarity of such broad clemency for a non-incarcerated individual, while supporters contend that the prosecution is politically motivated, noting that similar gun charges are rarely pursued against first-time offenders. The case also underscores the challenges of prosecuting high-profile figures, particularly when family ties to political power are involved. For Hunter Biden, the loss of his law license marks a significant professional consequence, even as the pardon shields him from criminal penalties, leaving the public and legal community divided on whether justice has been served.
Sources:
- Politico, “Hunter Biden gives up law license in Washington, D.C., avoiding disbarment proceedings,” April 2, 2025
- Fox News, “Hunter Biden agrees to be stripped of license to practice law in DC: court records,” April 2, 2025
- NBC News, “Hunter Biden’s law license suspended in Washington, D.C., after criminal conviction,” June 25, 2024
- Newsweek, “Hunter Biden’s Law License Suspended in D.C: What We Know,” June 25, 2024
- CBS News, “Hunter Biden suspended from practicing law in D.C. after gun conviction,” June 25, 2024
- PBS News, “Judge formally dismisses Hunter Biden’s gun case after presidential pardon,” December 3, 2024
- The Guardian, “Hunter Biden law licence suspended after conviction in gun case,” June 25, 2024
- Yahoo, “Hunter Biden’s DC law license suspended due to gun case conviction,” June 25, 2024
- Washington Examiner, “Hunter Biden agrees to lose law license,” April 2, 2025
- Just The News, “Hunter Biden agrees to give up law license in Washington DC,” April 1, 2025
- CNN Politics, “Hunter Biden’s DC law license suspended due to gun case conviction,” June 25, 2024
- ABC News, “Timeline: Hunter Biden granted pardon after legal, political scrutiny,” January 24, 2025
- The New York Times, “Hunter Biden’s Lawyers Cite Landmark Gun Ruling in Bid to Stave Off Charges,” May 31, 2023
