Ethics Complaint

Update: John Eastman Disbarred 

June 28, 2021

Apr 16, 2026

Editorial credit: REUTERS (digital license)

Yesterday, the California Supreme Court disbarred John Eastman as a result of his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.  The removal of a lawyer’s right to practice law is never a moment for celebration. It is, however, a moment to take pride in a profession where the fundamental framework for attorney regulation operates as it should.

In December of 2021, LDAD filed an ethics complaint against Mr. Eastman for his participation in post-election efforts to install Mr. Trump as president, notwithstanding the irrefutable fact that he lost his re-election campaign. LDAD’s complaint, signed by more than 1,300 distinguished members of the bar in nearly every state and the District of Columbia, supported and augmented an earlier complaint filed by States United Democracy Center.

Three months later, the State Bar of California’s Chief Trial Counsel announced an investigation focused on whether Mr. Eastman “engaged in conduct in violation of California law and ethics rules governing attorneys following and in relation to the November 2020 presidential election.”

Importantly, the announcement acknowledged the significance of publicly available information that was brought to the Chief Trial Counsel’s attention. Providing that information requires dogged persistence, attention to detail, and a belief that a law license is a privilege that comes with responsibilities to our justice system.

LDAD has long stood for the principle that lawyers have a special duty to protect the rule of law and to be accountable - to the oath we took when we entered the profession and to the rules of professional conduct that lie at the heart of every lawyer’s right to practice law.

The strength of our justice system rests on the longstanding principle that lawyers will follow the law and stringently adhere to rules of professional conduct. LDAD will continue to seek accountability for those who fail to adhere to those rules and who, in doing so, threaten the very foundation of our constitutional democracy.

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