Kellyanne Conway during a meeting at the White House. AP Photo/Evan Vucci At least 15 law professors have signed a letter calling for sanctions of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway.

The February 20 letter, which includes professors from law schools at Yale, Duke, and Georgetown, seeks professional discipline against President Donald Trump's counselor, whom the signatories accuse of violating a rule prohibiting lawyers from engaging in "conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation."

Conway has a license to practice law in her native New Jersey along with one in Washington, DC, which is suspended for not keeping current with fees.

Susan L. Brooks, a law professor at Drexel University, told Philly Voice that a similar ethics complaint would seek Conway's disbarment in New Jersey, her home state.

The signatories asked the DC Court of Appeals to sanction Conway for what they called misconduct as Trump's counselor. As examples, they pointed to Conway's evoking a nonexistent "massacre" to justify temporarily barring Muslim immigrants from the US, falsely saying President Barack Obama had implemented a six-month ban on entry to the US by Iraqi refugees, and endorsing Ivanka Trump's clothing line while occupying a governmental position.

At the same time, John F. Banzhaf III, a law professor at Conway's alma mater George Washington University, told Philly Voice the attempt to disbar her was "unconstitutional because it would chill the freedom of speech of any political figure."

The letter acknowledged such a concern, saying that its signatories understood the seriousness of seeking sanctions for conduct made outside the practice of law but arguing that Conway was "currently acting in a way that brings shame upon the legal profession."

"We all believe it is critically important that lawyers in public office — especially those who act as spokespersons for the highest levels of government — be truthful," the letter said.