BOISE -- Former Canyon County prosecutor and one-time gubernatorial candidate John Bujak resigned from the Idaho State Bar Thursday, effectively ending his ability to practice law in Idaho.
The resignation, which was accepted by the Idaho Supreme Court, comes in lieu of disciplinary proceedings: The State Bar sought to have him disbarred on ethical grounds earlier this summer. Bujak's name will be removed from the roster of those allowed to practice law in the Gem State, and his admission to the Idaho Supreme Court will be revoked.
Idaho's highest court ruled in 2014 that Bujak broke rules governing professional ethics about communication, safekeeping of property, conflict of interest and conduct prejudicial to the amendment of justice between 2004 and 2011.
Bujak resigned from his seat as county prosecutor in 2010 after facing criminal charges of misuse of public funds. He was later also accused of bankruptcy fraud and money laundering, but was acquitted on all counts.
The former prosecutor, who ran a failed bid for governor in 2014, has been working as a criminal defense lawyer in Eagle since last year. He recently defended Raul Herrera, who was convicted in July of murdering Jeffrey Dyer of Nampa during a home invasion.
Bujak's resignation agreement only bars him from practicing law in Idaho for four years, four months and eleven days. However, he would have to reapply at the end of that term and successfully convince the State Bar that he had overcome the presumption of "unfitness to practice law" in order to regain his status as an attorney.
Bujak said in a statement that resigning was the right decision for him.
"This should mark the end of my five-year battle with the state and federal governments in Idaho," he wrote in the statement. "The events of the last five years caused me to re-open and then close my private practice three times. The constant conflict caused more discontent than the satisfaction I derived from the practice of law. In the end, this is the best decision for myself, my health and my family. I have no regrets, and my family and I are very much looking forward to whatever life has in store."
