The California Supreme Court Wednesday permanently disbarred John Eastman — a key architect in President Donald Trump’s failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election — delivering one of the most consequential professional penalties yet for an election denier.
In a brief but decisive order, the high court declined to intervene after lower courts found that Eastman had repeatedly misled courts and advanced baseless claims in service of Trump’s last-ditch effort to cling to power after losing the presidency in 2020.
“The petitions for review are denied,” the court wrote. “The court orders that John Charles Eastman … is disbarred from the practice of law in California and … stricken from the roll of attorneys.”
The ruling marks the end of Eastman’s legal career in California and cements his status as one of the most prominent figures to face professional consequences for trying to subvert a democratic election.
Eastman is also currently suspended from practicing law in Washington, D.C., where disciplinary proceedings tied to his post-election conduct are ongoing.
Key Trump lawyer who tried to overturn 2020 election permanently disbarred
