After surrendering to authorities in Georgia, Rudy Giuliani claimed that prosecutors were infringing on his “right” to be a lawyer. 

He’s wrong. 

Being a lawyer is a privilege. It is conditioned on meeting the educational requirements of a lawyer, taking exams, and finally a commitment to follow an ethics code that requires honesty, fealty to the constitution, and other important ethical requirements. 

This is a distinction with a long history, as detailed in a law journal article written by the Dean of the Indiana School of Law nearly 120 years ago.  

Giuliani is entitled to his day in court. But he is not entitled to misrepresent the privileges granted to him by the New York Bar and the code he swore to uphold.