Former President Joe Biden is set to address the National Bar Association’s 100th annual gala in Chicago, a significant event occurring two months after his son Hunter Biden’s voluntary disbarment due to drug use and alleged gun law violations. The gala will highlight Biden’s speech, with NFL Chicago Bears CEO Kevin Warren as the keynote speaker. The event will feature a lineup of high-profile Black legal professionals, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The National Bar Association, now based in Washington, D.C., was founded in Iowa during an era when the dominant American Bar Association barred Black attorneys from membership. Its approximately 66,000 members advocate for civil rights, diversity in the legal profession, and equitable access to the law. Biden’s appearance at the gala underscores his ongoing efforts to strengthen the rule of law, defend voting rights, and support historically marginalized communities, as stated by National Bar Association president Wiley Adams.
Hunter Biden’s disbarment followed a case in Delaware, where a gun registered to him was found in a dumpster near the A.I. duPont school. Hallie Biden, his girlfriend, discovered the weapon and disposed of it there. Edward Banner, a Delaware resident, later found the gun while searching for bottle deposits and was called to testify in the case. Hunter Biden’s sworn declaration that he was not using controlled substances at the time of the gun’s registration led to a criminal case in Wilmington, resulting in his disbarment in June 2024. Hunter Biden had filed a sealed affidavit in April consenting to his disbarment, avoiding a court hearing.