California Judge Yvette Roland has recommended that former Trump lawyer John Eastman lose his law license over allegations that he tried to help overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Eastman, who is facing 11 misconduct charges from the State Bar of California, is accused of pushing to keep Trump in power by obstructing the count of electoral votes from certain states. While Roland’s decision does not automatically disbar Eastman, it serves as a recommendation for the California Supreme Court to consider next.
Eastman’s lawyer, Randall Miller, defended his client’s actions post-2020 election as based on legal precedent, constitutional text, prior presidential elections, and scholarly material. Miller argued that Eastman was simply fulfilling his duty as a zealous advocate for his client by exploring legal avenues to challenge the election results. Despite Eastman’s stance, the state bar has placed him on involuntary inactive status, barring him from practicing law in California while the Supreme Court reviews the case. Eastman is also facing criminal charges in the Georgia election subversion case alongside Trump.
The state bar chief trial counsel, George Cardona, accused Eastman of abandoning his ethical and legal duties as an attorney by developing a strategy to obstruct the counting of electoral votes on January 6, 2021. Cardona argued that Eastman’s actions posed a threat to democracy and warranted his disbarment. The State Bar of California maintained that Eastman’s conduct struck at the core of what it means to be a lawyer and undermined public trust in government institutions. The bar’s brief alleged that Eastman contributed to the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and sought to disenfranchise millions of voters.
The statement sent by Eastman’s counsel to Newsweek described the attempt to disbar him as unfair and aimed at harming his criminal defense in Georgia. The defense argued that revoking Eastman’s law license would be unjust and serve no legitimate purpose in protecting the public. Despite the ongoing legal battle, Eastman has remained remorseless for his actions and has shown a willingness to engage in similar misconduct if given the chance. The state bar has concluded that the only appropriate outcome for Eastman is disbarment, citing his grave misuse of his license and his role in undermining democracy.
Eastman’s alleged involvement in a plot to overturn the election by using fake electors in states where Trump lost has drawn scrutiny from legal authorities and heightened tensions surrounding his case. The recommendation for disbarment from Judge Roland underscores the severity of the accusations against Eastman and their potential impact on the legal profession. As the legal battle continues to unfold, the fate of Eastman’s law license and his future as a practicing attorney in California rests in the hands of the state’s high court.
