Most Oppose Clinton Disbarment

Analysis By Dalia Sussman, ABCNEWS.com

May 16 Nearly six in 10 Americans say Bill Clintons actions in the Lewinsky scandal should not cost him his license to practice law, a view thats closely linked to public approval of Clintons job performance.

Arkansas authorities may act as early as this week on a conservative legal groups petition to have Clinton disbarred. In this ABCNEWS poll, 58 percent say he should keep his law license.

Almost the same number, 57 percent, approve of Clintons work in office down a bit from 62 percent in February and its lowest since October 1998, albeit still a respectable rating. Clinton has a career average job approval rating of 56 percent, which places him in the mid-range of postwar presidents alongside Ronald Reagan and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Groups

Views on Clintons license are linked to approval of his work as president. Among those who disapprove of his job performance, 68 percent say he should be disbarred. Among those who approve of his work, 80 percent say he should keep his law license.

Majorities across demographic groups oppose disbarment. Not surprisingly, the one divider is political party affiliation: Six in 10 Republicans say Clinton should lose his license; fewer than two in 10 Democrats agree. Thats similar to the political divisions during the impeachment process on whether to remove Clinton from office.

The Southeastern Legal Foundation, a conservative group based in Atlanta, has petitioned to have Clinton disbarred for giving misleading testimony about his relationship with Lewinsky. Clinton was served with a complaint in February and responded in April; the issue is now before the Arkansas Supreme Courts Committee on Professional Conduct.

Methodology

This ABCNEWS.com survey was conducted by telephone May 10-14, 2000, among a random national sample of 1,006 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Fieldwork by ICR- International Communications Research of Media, Pa.