Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, was barred from practicing law in Washington after he was convicted of perjury in the case of a CIA operative identity leak.

"When a member of the bar is convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude, disbarment is mandatory," the appeals court ruled.

Libby loses the right to practice law in Washington until at least 2012 and also any bar membership he might hold in any other states. His disbarment is effective as of June 12, 2007.

The former White House aide has lied to the FBI in the case of former CIA operative Valerie Plame, the Board on Professional Responsibility found out. As a consequence, he was stripped of his license in the nation’s capital last May by a court panel that oversees lawyer ethics. Libby’s disbarment was expected and the order was evetualy given by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

"This action is required by the rules following a conviction regardless of the merits of the case, and for that reason Mr. Libby expected and did not oppose the court's order," said Libby attorney William Jeffress.

Libby’s membership with the D.C. bar was suspended because he didn’t pay his dues according to the trial records. He was the only one who faced charges criminal charges in the case of the 2003 leak of Plame's identity.

Last July, he was sentenced to 2 1/2-years in prison, but his sentence was commuted by President Bush, who labeled it "excessive." Libby dropped appeals to have his convictions overturned, paid a $250,000 fine and is on a two year probation.