Do Aspiring Lawyers Face Tougher Ethical Standard Than The Disbarred?

Two men looking to come back from national ethics scandals – unfaithful politician John Edwards and journalist Stephen Glass, who fabricated dozens of stories for New Republic magazine – are seeking permission to practice law. Edwards reactivated his license after a jury acquitted him from campaign-finance violation charges, but Glass is the subject of a California Supreme Court case to determine whether he is morally rehabilitated to practice law. NYU law professor Stephen Gillers questions whether it’s appropriate that an aspiring lawyer should come under a higher level of ethical scrutiny than an attorney who has had his right to practice revoked.