James Mecca was caught in a policed sting operation after an informant reported that she’d paid Mecca earlier in marijuana, and he had offered to represent her again for the “same old, same old”.

Mecca pleaded guilty in 2014 to a misdemeanour first-offence charge of possessing marijuana in 2013. His six-month jail sentence was suspended and he has served a year of probation.

Now Louisiana’s Supreme Court has rejected a disciplinary board’s recommendation to allow Mecca to keep working.

Two justices recommended a lighter punishment on Friday, noting that Mecca cooperated with investigators and has completed a drug rehabilitation programme.

A third judge said the dopey attorney deserved harsher discipline.