Ex-Trump lawyer Eastman loses round in fight to keep California law license
The Friday ruling, opens new tab from the State Bar Court of California's appeals division tees up Eastman's case for final review by the California Supreme Court, which has the final say on attorney disciplinary matters in the state.
Eastman violated California attorney ethics rules against misleading courts and making false public statements, the bar court's Review Department found in a 103-page ruling.
"Whether in the courts, to former Vice-President Pence and his staff, or to the public, Eastman consistently failed to be honest," the Review Department said.
Randall Miller, a lawyer for Eastman, said they would appeal Friday's decision to the state's high court. Eastman had argued to the bar court's Review Department that his rights to free speech and due process were violated by state bar prosecutors, and complained that he was singled out for punishment by the judge who heard his case.
George Cardona, the State Bar of California's chief trial counsel, praised the ruling in a statement on Friday night, calling it "a powerful and timely reminder that whoever they are and whoever they represent, attorneys must remain true to the ethical rules that govern their conduct and respect the rule of law."
A judge on California's State Bar Court recommended Eastman's disbarment in a March 2024 decision that said his plan to derail Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 election victory "was unlawful and lacked any factual or legal support." Eastman's license was suspended after he was recommended for disbarment.
Eastman separately has been indicted in Arizona and Georgia state courts for his efforts to overturn Biden's election victory in those states. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
A former law professor at Chapman University in California, Eastman drafted legal memos suggesting then-Vice President Mike Pence could refuse to accept electoral votes from several swing states when Congress convened to certify the 2020 vote count. Pence rebuffed his arguments, saying he did not have legal authority to do so under the Constitution.
Trump was also represented by Eastman in a long-shot lawsuit at the U.S. Supreme Court that sought to invalidate votes in four states where the Republican former president had falsely claimed evidence of widespread voter fraud.
Eastman repeated many of those claims at a rally outside the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, after which a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and delayed congressional certification of the election.
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