Blagojevich Loses Law License and Probably Won't Get Pension

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Oct 26, 2011 10:30PM

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has lost his license to practice law, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled today. The court simply stated Blagojevich would be "suspended from the practice of law effective immediately and until further order of [the] court." Plus, the Illinois General Assembly is rushing to prevent him from collecting a pension when he turns 55 in December.

It doesn't look like Blagojevich fought to keep his license. The Sun-Times reported that when responding to the court, Blagojevich "gave justices no arguments why his license should not be suspended." He hasn't even used his law license in about 15 years, and his lawyer says Blagojevich expected the ruling.

It has been four months since he was convicted on corruption charges, but Blagojevich is still waiting for his sentencing hearing, which was delayed because the same judge is currently presiding over the trial of Springfield power broker William Cellini. The feds have said they basically want to lock Blagojevich up and throw away the key.

As for Blagojevich's pension, State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, and other state lawmakers are pushing for a quick vote by the retirement board to prevent the convicted felon from collecting a $65,000-a-year state pension. Fellow convicted former Illinois Governor George Ryan was collecting a pension of about $200,000 a year before it was stopped when he went to prison. Blagojevich is still eligible for a federal pension of $15,000 a year for his six years as a congressman.

Fortunately for the Blagojevich family, Patti has a new job, and no, it's not another reality show. Patti Blagojevich has started a company called Business Insurance Specialist Inc., advertising employee benefit policies for sale in Illinois and Wisconsin. Let's hope that works out because even if Blago is a blowhard, it doesn't mean his kids don't deserve a stable life.