INADMISSIBLE

As the California Supreme Court weighs whether to admit ex-journalist Stephen Glass to the state bar, it’s worth noting that he earned the trust of a Washington federal judge and his staff at the very beginning of his legal career.

Glass left journalism in a high-profile way in 1998 after fabricating stories at The New Republic. He was also a law student at Georgetown University Law Center and, shortly after his fall from grace, spent three months as an intern in 1999 for U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina. A law professor recommended Glass, Urbina said. He said he didn’t know about Glass’ past at first, but didn’t reconsider once he did; the professor had recommended good clerks before. Given Glass’ history, though, Urbina said he and the clerks were “diligent in making sure everything was right.” Urbina spoke about Glass’ time in his office, but declined to talk about his California case. Glass proved trustworthy, Urbina said. A supervising clerk wrote that Glass was “extremely thorough and meticulous.” In Glass’ California bar application, Urbina wrote in 2008 that he “performed well, honestly & professionally.” — Zoe Tillman