Cecily Zamora
Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and personal lawyer to Donald Trump, has been suspended from practising law in New York since 2021. This came after Giuliani made false statements in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, which led to the storming of the US Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. Giuliani has since lost his license to practice law in New York and filed for bankruptcy protection after being ordered to pay $148 million in a defamation lawsuit.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Can Giuliani practice law in New York? | No |
| Date of suspension | June 24, 2023 |
| Reason for suspension | Made false statements while trying to get courts to overturn Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential race |
| Suspension status | Prevented from representing clients as a lawyer but not stripped of his law license |
| Disciplinary proceedings status | Ongoing |
| Giuliani's response | Called the suspension a "disgrace" and a "politically and ideologically corrupted" decision |
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What You'll Learn
Giuliani's false statements about the 2020 election
In 2023, Rudy Giuliani was suspended from practising law in New York after making false statements in an attempt to overturn Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani, who served as Trump's personal lawyer, was a leading proponent of false claims that Trump's defeat was due to widespread voter fraud.
Giuliani's false statements contributed to national strife and undermined the integrity of the electoral process. He was found to have flagrantly misused his prominent position and actively contributed to the national strife that has followed the 2020 presidential election.
Giuliani has since been disbarred in New York and lost his law license after a 31-page order banning him from practising law in the state. The order focused on his work as Trump's personal lawyer and his false claims of election fraud.
Giuliani has also faced legal consequences for specific false statements made about Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss. He was held in contempt of court and ordered to pay $148 million in a defamation lawsuit brought by the two election workers. Giuliani falsely accused Freeman and Moss, who are mother and daughter, of committing ballot fraud during the 2020 election. He claimed that they pulled out suitcases of illegal ballots and committed other acts of fraud to alter the election outcome. These statements were found to be false and defamatory, resulting in significant damages for the two election workers.
In addition to the legal repercussions, Giuliani's false statements about the 2020 election have had broader impacts. His promotion of election fraud theories contributed to the angry mob of pro-Trump rioters storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of President Biden's victory. Republicans have also used the lie of election fraud to push for stricter voting laws nationwide.
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Giuliani's suspension from the New York state bar
On June 24, 2021, an appeals court suspended Rudy Giuliani from practising law in New York. The ruling stated that Giuliani could not represent clients as a lawyer in any capacity within the state. This was due to his involvement in spreading false statements and misinformation regarding the 2020 US presidential election results, which the court deemed as an immediate threat to the public.
Giuliani was found to have made demonstrably false and misleading statements in his capacity as a lawyer for former President Donald Trump. He had claimed that Trump's defeat to Joe Biden was a result of widespread voter fraud, which the court deemed as baseless. The court stated that Giuliani's conduct immediately threatens the public interest, and that he posed a risk of continuing to engage in similar misconduct, citing the persistent and pervasive nature of his false statements.
The suspension was a result of a disciplinary proceeding brought by the Attorney Grievance Committee of the state's First Judicial Department, which holds jurisdiction over attorneys in Manhattan. The New York State Bar Association also removed Giuliani from its membership following his suspension.
Giuliani responded to the court's ruling outside his NYC apartment, stating that the judges took action without giving him a hearing. He later called the suspension a disgrace on his afternoon radio show. A spokesperson for Giuliani, Ted Goodman, called the decision "an absolute travesty and a total miscarriage of justice", arguing that the decision was politically and ideologically motivated.
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Giuliani's disbarment in New York
On 2 July 2024, Rudy Giuliani was disbarred from practising law in New York. The 31-page order banning Giuliani from practising law in the state focused on his work as former President Donald Trump's personal lawyer during the 2020 election campaign. The court found that Giuliani had "baselessly attacked and undermined the integrity of [the] country's electoral process" and had actively contributed to the national strife that has followed the 2020 presidential election.
The ruling stated that Giuliani had flagrantly misused his prominent position as the personal attorney for former President Trump and his campaign" and that he had deliberately violated some of the most fundamental tenets of the legal profession". The court agreed with an attorney disciplinary committee that Giuliani had violated professional conduct rules by promoting theories that the election was stolen through fraud.
Giuliani had been suspended from practising law in New York since June 2021. The suspension was due to false statements he made while trying to get the courts to overturn Trump's loss in the 2020 election. The suspension was to remain in place until disciplinary proceedings were complete, but the court ordered that it should be immediate due to the "immediate threat" Giuliani posed to the public.
Giuliani has faced widespread criticism for his role in promoting Trump's false claims of election fraud. He has been accused of causing "irreversible damage" to public faith in elections and of "incitement of a riot at the Capitol". Lawmakers and members of the public had called for his disbarment as early as November 2020, and an ethics complaint was filed against him in January 2021. Giuliani has also faced financial consequences for his actions, filing for bankruptcy protection in December 2023 after being ordered to pay $148 million in a defamation lawsuit brought by Georgia election workers he falsely accused of rigging votes.
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Giuliani's work as Trump's personal lawyer
Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, served as Trump's personal lawyer and was one of the leading proponents of false claims that Trump's defeat to Joe Biden in 2020 was due to widespread voter fraud. In June 2021, Giuliani had not appeared in court as an attorney since 1992, according to court records.
In November 2020, Giuliani struggled with rudimentary legal processes when he represented the Trump presidential campaign in the federal court of Pennsylvania. He was accused by lawyers for the Pennsylvania Secretary of State of making disgraceful legal arguments. Judge Matthew Brann questioned how Giuliani could justify asking the court to invalidate 6.8 million votes.
In 2023, an appeals court suspended Giuliani from practising law in New York, and in 2024, he was disbarred in the state. The 31-page order banning Giuliani from practising law in New York focused on his work as Trump's personal lawyer and his role in spreading misinformation about the 2020 election.
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Giuliani's conduct as an immediate threat to the public interest
In June 2021, a New York appellate court suspended Rudy Giuliani's law license, citing that his conduct as a lawyer posed an "immediate threat" to the public interest. The court found that there was "uncontroverted" evidence that Giuliani had made false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers, and the public. These statements were made to support his claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 United States presidential election and to bolster his narrative that the election was stolen from his client, former President Donald Trump.
Giuliani, who served as Trump's personal lawyer, was found to have baselessly attacked and undermined the integrity of [the] country's electoral process. He was one of the leading proponents of false claims that Trump's defeat to Joe Biden in 2020 was due to voter fraud. The court stated that Giuliani had actively contributed to the national strife that has followed the 2020 presidential election and that he was entirely unrepentant.
The ruling by the New York court stated that Giuliani's conduct "immediately threatens the public interest and warrants interim suspension from the practice of law." This decision was made despite disciplinary proceedings not being complete, reflecting the seriousness of the situation. Giuliani's false statements caused significant harm, leading to an angry mob of pro-Trump rioters storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of President Biden's victory.
Giuliani's lawyers, John Leventhal and Barry Kamins, expressed disappointment with the decision, stating that they believed their client did not pose a present danger to the public interest. They argued that Giuliani's statements were not knowingly false and that he had served the legal profession well in his many capacities for many years. However, the court found that Giuliani's misconduct was serious and warranted immediate suspension, a decision that was upheld in July 2024, when Giuliani was disbarred from practicing law in New York.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Giuliani was disbarred from practicing law in New York in 2024.
Giuliani was disbarred for making "demonstrably false and misleading statements" about the 2020 US presidential election results.
Giuliani's license to practice law was also suspended in Washington, D.C., in 2021. It is unclear if he holds a law license in any other states.
Being disbarred means that Giuliani will be unable to practice law or appear in court on behalf of clients. However, it may not directly impact his lobbying work or business as a security consultant.
