Judge rules John Eastman should be disbarred over efforts to overturn 2020 election

A dabbler in immigration law willing to take bold, if not wild, positions, former Professor and Dean John Eastman in the past questioned Kamala Harris’s eligibility to be President,  argued that birthright citizenship was not required by the U.S. Constitution, and more.   In January 2021, he abruptly retired from Chapman in the wake of his role in Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.. 

Ella Lee on the Hill reports that a State Bar Judge yesterday recommended disbarring Eastman   State Bar Judge Yvette Roland found Eastman culpable on 10 of the 11 counts filed by the California State Bar. The state bar sought to strip Eastman’s license to practice law in the state over “false and misleading statements” alleging election fraud and his role in “provoking” the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.  

The judge also recommended that Eastman be ordered to pay $10,000 in monetary sanctions to the State Bar of California Client Security Fund. 

Eastman’s legal team said he would appeal the ruling.  The case ultimately may end up before the California Supreme Court. For now, Eastman will be on inactive status and cannot practice law. 

KJ