On Monday, May 20, 2024, the Colorado Times Recorder reported that Trump attorney John Eastman’s law licenses in California and Washington D.C. had been suspended due to disciplinary charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Eastman was appealing the ruling from a California Bar Court judge that had recommended his disbarment after finding him culpable on 10 charges. In the meantime, a federal judge in D.C. had forbidden Eastman from practicing law there until the resolution of his appeal. Eastman had also been forced to resign as the lead counsel for the Colorado Republican Party in a lawsuit challenging Colorado’s open primary process, though he maintained an advisory role.
Despite these sanctions, Eastman insisted that the U.S. Supreme Court would still allow him to argue before the nine justices. On a podcast, Eastman argued that the California disciplinary proceedings should not impact his ability to practice before the Supreme Court. He claimed the Supreme Court had told him in a letter that they were not taking any action against him at this point.
Eastman’s claims were disputed by States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan election integrity group that had initially filed complaints against Eastman with the bar associations. A spokesperson for the group pointed out that the Supreme Court rules allow for the suspension of lawyers who engaged in conduct unbecoming a Supreme Court bar member or were suspended by other courts. Given Eastman’s circumstances, the spokesperson said he clearly met these criteria for suspension.
However, the Supreme Court press office did not respond to requests for comment to confirm Eastman’s assertions. On a separate note, Eastman had also pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of fraud, forgery, and conspiracy related to his post-election efforts in Arizona and Georgia.
Source: Colorado Times Recorder
