California Judge Rejects Ex-Trump Lawyer John Eastman’s Bid to Pause Suspension From Practicing Law

Attorney John Eastman talks to reporters after a hearing in Los Angeles, on June 20, 2023. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

A California judge has rejected a plea from attorney John Eastman to allow him to continue practicing law in the state while he continues to challenge the permanent revocation of his license.

In her ruling on Wednesday, State Bar Court Judge Yvette Roland wrote that Mr. Eastman’s placement on “inactive enrollment” was mandatory, citing her previous ruling on the matter in March.

The judge noted that Mr. Eastman had filed a motion to stay the order placing him on inactive enrollment in which he argued that the court had the authority to temporarily delay the “effective date of, or temporarily stay the effect of an order for a licensee’s disciplinary suspension from practice upon a showing of good cause.”

“The court rejects this argument,” Judge Roland wrote in Thursday’s ruling, citing the fact that the Supreme Court has not yet made a final determination in the case or suspended his license.

Lawyers for Mr. Eastman, a former Chapman University law professor, had also argued in court filings that there was good cause to stay his inactive enrollment because his conduct “does not pose a substantial threat of harm to his clients,” who include, among others, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Politico reported.

Eastman Barred in California

Some of Mr. Eastman’s clients also provided the court with written declarations expressing a “strong desire for him to continue representing them in their ongoing matters,” according to Judge Roland’s ruling.

“However, the court made no finding that Eastman’s ethical violations resulted in client harm,” Judge Roland wrote. “Instead, the court found that disbarment was the appropriate sanction for Eastman’s misconduct in part to safeguard the public.”

“Despite his clients’ desire for Eastman to continue representing them, based on the gravity of Eastman’s transgressions, particularly those involving moral turpitude, and the increased likelihood of future misconduct due to his refusal to acknowledge any wrongdoing, there is insufficient evidence to justify a stay of his involuntary inactive enrollment,” she concluded.

Mr. Eastman’s motion to stay the ruling banning him from practicing law came after Judge Roland recommended his disbarment in California in March, citing advice he gave to then-President Donald Trump, whom he represented in lawsuits contesting the validity of the 2020 election results.

Eastman Made ‘False, Deceptive’ Election Claims

President Trump had sought to challenge voting results in four states: Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

At the time of granting her recommendation, Judge Roland said she had found that Mr. Eastman made “false and deceptive” claims about the electoral process for the 2020 presidential election, including that then-Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to delay vote counting, “without conducting any meaningful investigation or verification of the information he was relying upon.”

“In view of the circumstances surrounding Eastman’s misconduct and balancing the aggravation and mitigation, the court recommends that Eastman be disbarred,” the judge wrote in her 128-page opinion in March.

Her ruling triggered an automatic suspension of Mr. Eastman’s license in California.

In filings to the court, lawyers for Mr. Eastman had argued his placement on inactive enrollment in the state hindered his ability to earn a living.

However, Judge Roland rejected that motion on Wednesday, stating that the former law professor’s motion “fails to demonstrate that he no longer presents a threat to the public.”

Mr. Eastman has been indicted alongside President Trump and multiple others on state charges in Georgia by prosecutor Fani Willis regarding his actions in the wake of the 2020 elections.

The Epoch Times has contacted a lawyer for Mr. Eastman for comment.