In a new case, reported today in the Legal Profession blog, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals has concluded that a conviction for federal witness tampering involves moral turpitude per se and thus requires disbarment. The case is called In re Walter Blair and it is available here.
As you may remember, this is not the first time I have mentioned the DC courts' view on what constitutes moral turpitude. Last September I discussed a case from Washington DC interpreting the notion of moral turpitude in an attempt to decide the proper punishment for misconduct. See here. In that case, the Disciplinary Board, Bar Counsel and the courts disagreed on the proper sanction for an attorney who had engaged in conduct that involved moral turpitude.
