The tightening of penalties for lawyers committing domestic violence offenses in the 1990s—while a national spotlight focused on abuse of women by husbands, partners and boyfriends—begs the question: should today’s #MeToo movement, fueled by a sense of outrage over abuse of power, dictate another ratcheting up of discipline?

The case of a New Jersey lawyer suspended from practice after a conviction for simple assault provides a window into the issue, if not an answer to the question.