Illinois Supreme Court Disbars Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich departs his Chicago home in 2012. On Tuesday, Trump commuted the 14-year sentence of Blagojevich, who has been serving a prison term after being convicted of corruption charges.

CHICAGO — Disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been officially disbarred.

The Illinois Supreme Court announced on Monday that it revoked Blagojevich’s law license.

The announcement was not a surprise, as Blagojevich didn’t even attend a March hearing in which the matter was discussed and indicated afterward that he had no intention of practicing law again.

Blagojevich was released from a federal prison in Colorado in February after his 14-year sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump.

He recently signed on to host a podcast in Chicago called “The Lightning Rod.”

Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on six NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM's annual environmental TV special "State of Change." And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM's Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024. Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsIPM