April 16 (UPI) — The California Supreme Court has disbarred John Eastman, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, over his involvement in the so-called fake electors scheme to overturn the 2020 election.
The state’s high court ruled Wednesday that Eastman, 65, is disbarred from practicing law in California and must pay a $5,000 sanction to the State Bar of California Client Security Fund, a discretionary fund that reimburses clients for financial losses caused by dishonest conduct or theft by their lawyers.
Eastman is considered one of the main architects of the plan to replace legitimate electors of President Joe Biden with fakes supporting Trump in several battleground states, including Georgia where he was charged in the scheme.
He was also accused of amplifying the unfounded claim that Mike Pence, Trump’s vice president in 2020, had the authority to delay or adjourn Biden’s certification as the 46th U.S. president.
“Today’s California Supreme Court order disbarring John Charles Eastman from the practice of law in California affirms the fundamental principle that attorneys must act with honesty and uphold the rule of law, regardless of the client they represent or the context in which that representation occurs,” State Bar Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona said in a statement.
The ruling ends a protracted litigious examination of Eastman’s law license that began in September 2021 with the State Bar of California opening an investigation into Eastman, with 11 disciplinary charges filed against him in January 2023.
In March the following year, California State Bar Judge Yvette Roland found Eastman culpable for 10 of those charges for egregious and deceitful conduct, recommending his disbarment.
“As counsel for President Trump during a disputed presidential election, Eastman made multiple patently false and misleading statements in court filing, in public remarks heard by countless Americans and to others regarding the conduct of the 2020 presidential election and Vice President Pence’s authority to refuse to count or delay counting properly certified slates of electoral votes on January 6, 2021,” Roland said in her ruling.
“These statements, made with varying degrees of intent, were improperly aimed at casting doubt on the legitimate election results and support for the baseless claim that the presidency was stolen from his client — all while relying on his credentials as an attorney and constitutional scholar to lend credibility to his unfounded claims.”
Roland’s decision was affirmed by the State Bar Court Review Department in July.
“After extensive proceedings before the State Bar Court’s Hearing and Review Departments, both of which found Mr. Eastman culpable of serious ethical violations, the court has imposed the discipline warranted by the clear and convincing evidence that he advanced false claims about the 2020 presidential election to mislead courts, public officials and the American public,” Cardona said Wednesday.
“The court’s order underscores that Mr. Eastman’s misconduct was incompatible with the standards of integrity required of every California attorney.”
Jeffrey Clark, a lawyer who served as acting assistant head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division during Trump’s first term, called Eastman’s disbarment “a travesty.”
“John represented the president in litigation challenging an election. That’s all. He lied about nothing. Reasonable minds can disagree about the 2020 election,” Clark, who is facing disbarment in Washington over supporting efforts to overturn Trump’s election loss, said in a social media statement.
“Two-tiered system of justice and of bar discipline. Pray for John and his family and that John will speedily take this case to the U.S. Supreme Court and that they will grant cert and reverse this absolute nonsense.”
Clark is accused of drafting a letter in late December 2020 informing Georgia election officials that the Justice Department had “significant concerns” about the state’s election, despite the department being aware of zero issues.
Biden narrowly won Georgia. As it was a close race and Republican-run, the state became a focal point in efforts to overturn the election in Trump’s favor.
Eastman, Clark and Trump were among the 19 co-defendants charged in a RICO case in Georgia over their alleged attempts to criminally interfere in the 2020 election.
Georgia prosecutors dropped the case after Trump won the 2024 election.
Then in November 2025, Trump pardoned Eastman, Clark and dozens of other allies accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election for him.
