The D.C. Court of Appeals has temporarily suspended John Eastman’s law license after a similar decision in California, which did so over his role in a legal strategy to help Donald Trump stay in power after his 2020 election loss.
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California State Bar Court Judge Yvette Roland in March recommended that Eastman be disbarred in the state. Roland on Wednesday rejected Eastman’s request to lift his license suspension, writing that he “fail[ed] to demonstrate that he no longer presents a threat to the public.”
Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, chief judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals, wrote in an order filed Friday that Eastman’s license is suspended in D.C. until there’s a final decision in the California proceeding. Eastman also faces potential disbarment in D.C.; that challenge to his license is also on hold during the California litigation.
The California Supreme Court will issue a final ruling on the matter, which Eastman can appeal.
Eastman’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan organization that says it is dedicated to advancing fair and safe elections, filed complaints against Eastman in California and D.C. In a statement, Gillian Feiner, senior counsel at the States United Democracy Center, applauded the D.C. decision.
“Eastman worked to help Trump overturn the 2020 election. People who break their oaths and use their law license to undermine the rule of law should not be able to practice,” Feiner said. “This action is an important step toward concrete consequences for Trump’s lawyers and safeguarding our democracy.”
Eastman — who also spoke at a rally at the Ellipse outside the White House that preceded the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — faces 11 disciplinary charges in California stemming from allegations that he was the architect of the legal road map Trump followed to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 election by obstructing the electoral vote count in certain states.
In addition to facing possible disbarment in California, Eastman, a former law school dean, has been embroiled in other legal cases related to election interference.
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Eastman faces charges in Arizona and Georgia cases accusing Trump and his allies of conspiring to subvert the 2020 election results in those states. Eastman is also one of the unnamed co-conspirators described in an election interference case brought by the Justice Department, although he does not face charges in that case. His legal team has maintained in each case that he’s innocent.
