According to a statement from ARDC deputy administrator and chief counsel James Grogan, the Obamas were "never the subject of any public disciplinary proceedings."

Quite to the contrary, a notice on the website of the Illinois State Bar states that the Association is "proud" to retain Barack and Michelle Obama as honorary members. Lastly, it's not unusual for lawyers to go on inactive status if they have no immediate plans to practice law. According to the ARDC Annual Report, 12% of Illinois' 87,943 attorneys were registered as inactive in 2011.

Senior Lecturer vs Professor

It's true that, although both President Obama and the University of Chicago have stated at various times that he was a "professor of law" or "professor of constitutional law" at the U.C. Law School, he never officiallyheld that title. He was first a Lecturer (1992-1996) and then a Senior Lecturer (1996-2004) until elected to the Senate in 2004.

These distinctions are explained in a media release published on the U.C. Law School website, which nevertheless pointedly states that Barack Obama served as a professor there regardless of his official title.

Constitution vs Declaration

As to Obama's statement that equal treatment under the law is a promise "enshrined in our Constitution" (State of the Union Address, Jan. 27, 2010), it's true that the phrase "all men are created equal" originated in the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution. Thus, one can argue that Obama cited the wrong document.

However, one can also argue that he cited the right document, as the key word is "enshrined," which is defined as