Former Trump lawyer John Eastman disbarred over efforts to overturn 2020 election

John Eastman, a lawyer who played a key role in Donald Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election, officially lost his law license in California on Wednesday.

The California supreme court upheld a 2024 ruling from a state judge, who recommended Eastman be disbarred. Eastman “exhibited gross negligence by making false statements about the 2020 election without conducting any meaningful investigation or verification of the information he was relying upon”, Judge Yvette Roland wrote in 2024.

The state supreme court court denied Eastman’s request to review that decision on Thursday and said he was “disbarred from the practice of law in California” and ordered his name “stricken from the roll of attorneys”. He was also ordered to pay $5,000 to the state bar.

Eastman, a former clerk of Clarence Thomas, was a key architect of the fake elector theory that Trump and allies tried to deploy to overturn the election results. Eastman and other Trump lawyers repeatedly made false claims of voter fraud to try to bolster their case.

“Eastman played a central role in the plot to overturn the 2020 election – pressuring state officials, advancing baseless claims in court, and promoting a fringe theory that the vice-president could reject certified electoral votes. His unethical actions have had real, lasting consequences for our democracy, and we applaud the California supreme court’s decision to disbar him,” Christine Sun, senior vice-president of legal at States United Democracy Center, which filed the initial complaint against Eastman in California, said in a statement.

A lawyer for Eastman told reporters he would appeal to the United States supreme court.

“We disagree with that outcome and believe it raises pivotal constitutional concerns regarding the limits of state regulation of attorney speech,” he said in a statement, according to Politico.

Eastman has also had his bar license suspended in Washington DC. He was also criminally charged in Georgia and Arizona for his role in the aftermath of the 2020 election (The Georgia case has been dropped, while the Arizona case is pending).

Watchdog groups have pursued bar disciplinary proceedings as one avenue of accountability for lawyers who assisted with Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Rudy Giuliani, another key Trump ally in 2020, was disbarred in New York and Washington DC. Kenneth Chesebro, another key player in the fake electors scheme, was also disbarred in New York. Jeff Clark, a former justice department official who also supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, has also been recommended for disbarment in Washington DC.

“This decision is part of a broader reckoning for those who seek to undermine the rule of law in this country. While Trump tries to consolidate power, the states and courts continue to successfully check executive overreach and the unlawful actions of his administration,” Sun said.