Gonzales Stripped of His "Lawyer of the Year" Title

When the guffaws died down in the old oak smoking rooms of lawyer's clubs across America, something interesting happened - the stogy, corporate, Skull and Bones network decided that maybe bestowing such an honor on Abu Al wasn't exactly in keeping with the spirit of the U.S. constitution. So, they rescinded the award -- by renaming it.

There was a lot of snickering and outrage in Left Blogistan the other day when it was announced that former U.S. Attorney General Alberto "Abu Al" Gonzales was tapped as lawyer of the year by the American Bar Association. As weird as news of that honor might have been, I figured, quid pro quo. That's what lawyers do, to an extent. When an AG leaves office, even amidst controversy, there's a certain degree of barrister back-scratching in play.

It didn't take long for the ABA to rescind Abu Al's award, though. Apparently, the bruhaha caused the ABA to reconsider (or reinterpret) the award. Again, that's what lawyers do when there's a stinkola in the ranks:

So that there can be no confusion, the term "Lawyers of the Year" has been changed in the headline and story to "Newsmakers of the Year." The story is otherwise unchanged from its original version.

This article, like all in the Journal, is the work of the magazine's editorial staff. As is the magazine's practice, it was not reviewed by the Journal's volunteer Board of Editors, the ABA's Board of Governors, or its officers, prior to publication. The Journal will continue to strive to provide high quality news to its readership...