Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says her law license suspension is 'odd'

From left: Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism president and CEO Dan Kelleher, former Assemblyman D. Billy Jones, ORDA  President and CEO Ashley Walden, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Pat Bradley
/
WAMC
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand at the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, January 22, 2024.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says it's "odd" that her law license was suspended last week.

Gillibrand was one of more than 1,000 attorneys suspended by a New York State appeals court judge for failing to file registration paperwork. The Albany Times-Union was the first outlet to report the story.

The senator says she formally resigned as an attorney after she was elected to Congress, so she's not sure why her license was suspended now.

"When I got elected to the House of Representatives, I retired from the law and let New York State know, so it's just odd that they're just finding out about it now," Gillibrand said Monday. "So I'm not sure what happened, but I haven't practiced law in 20 years."

"I received all the communications from the bar and from CLE [Continuing Legal Education]," Gillibrand added. "So I let them know, but I don't know why it's news today."

New York requires attorneys to file re-registration paperwork every two years. State rules allow for a 30-day grace period.

Gillibrand was admitted to the bar in January 1991, according to state records. She worked as a practicing attorney at two New York City-based law firms from 1991 to 2005, when she left to campaign for Congress.

Gillibrand was elected to the House in 2006 and became a senator in January 2009, filling the seat vacated by Hillary Clinton.

Grant Ashley is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. He grew up in Rochester before graduating from the University at Buffalo in 2024 with a degree in political science and Spanish. Before coming to WAMC, Ashley worked as a part-time host and reporter for NPR member station BTPM and as an English teacher in Spain.