Gavin Howe
On October 31, 2024, Kenneth Chesebro, a former lawyer for Donald Trump, was indefinitely suspended from legal practice in New York. This suspension came as a result of his guilty plea in a Georgia criminal indictment for his efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss. With a career spanning several decades, Chesebro has gone from being a registered Democrat to supporting conservative causes and prominent Republicans. His involvement in the 2020 election controversy and subsequent suspension from legal practice raises the question: Can Kenneth Chesebro still practice law?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Kenneth Chesebro |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Law License Status | Suspended in New York |
| Reason for Suspension | Guilty plea in a felony case |
| Case Location | Fulton County, Georgia |
| Year of Suspension | 2024 |
| Possibility of Permanent Disbarment | Yes |
| Other Charges | Conspiracy to utter forged official documents, forgery in Wisconsin |
| Political Affiliation | Democrat-turned-Republican |
| Notable Clients | Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee |
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What You'll Learn
Kenneth Chesebro's political affiliations
Chesebro's shift from a liberal to a conservative appears to have coincided with his newfound wealth from investing in bitcoin around 2014, which reportedly netted him several million dollars.
Chesebro is best known for his involvement in the Trump election subversion scandal, where he was accused of devising and implementing a fake elector plot to overturn the 2020 election. He was indicted in Georgia along with eighteen others, including former President Donald Trump, and pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents. As a result of his guilty plea, he was suspended from practising law in New York and faces the possibility of permanent disbarment.
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His guilty plea in Georgia
On October 20, 2023, Kenneth Chesebro took a last-minute plea deal, pleading guilty to a single felony count of conspiracy to file false documents. This was in relation to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, where he was working for former President Donald Trump. Chesebro was one of 18 co-defendants, including Trump, who were charged "in a scheme to submit false election results to Congress".
Chesebro's guilty plea in Georgia had significant repercussions for his legal career. As a direct consequence of this plea, he was suspended from practising law in the state of New York, with the New York State Appeals Court recognising the felony as a "serious crime". The court's decision to suspend Chesebro's law license was based on the fact that the conviction in Georgia met the definition of a serious crime in New York. The suspension was effective immediately, and Chesebro was indefinitely barred from legal practice in the state.
Chesebro's guilty plea in Georgia exposed him to further legal consequences and scrutiny. In addition to the suspension of his law license in New York, he faced the possibility of permanent disbarment. The guilty plea also led to his indictment in Wisconsin, where he was charged with conspiracy to utter forged official documents. This charge was related to his involvement in sending false slates of electors to Congress, in an attempt to prevent the certification of President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.
The guilty plea in Georgia marked a significant turning point in Chesebro's legal career and reputation. It not only resulted in his suspension from legal practice in New York but also raised questions about his ethical boundaries and moral compass, as noted by his former mentor, Lawrence Tribe. Chesebro's involvement in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results had far-reaching consequences and contributed to his downfall as a practising attorney.
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Chesebro's suspension from practising law in New York
On 31 October 2024, Kenneth Chesebro was suspended indefinitely from practising law in New York State. This suspension came as a result of his guilty plea in a Georgia criminal indictment. Chesebro, a former lawyer for Donald Trump, was charged with conspiracy to file false documents in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. He pleaded guilty to one felony count and was sentenced to five years of probation and a $5,000 fine.
The New York State Appeals Court recognised the felony as a "serious crime" and took action to bar Chesebro from legal practice in the state. This decision was made in light of Chesebro's conviction in Georgia, which the court deemed to meet the definition of a serious crime warranting his suspension.
The suspension of Chesebro's law license in New York is an ongoing development, and it is not yet clear how long the suspension will last. However, it has been emphasised that the suspension is effective immediately, indicating the seriousness with which the New York State Appeals Court views Chesebro's conduct.
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His work with Laurence Tribe
Kenneth Chesebro's work with Laurence Tribe began when the two met at Harvard Law School, where Tribe was a professor and Chesebro, along with Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and Jeffrey Toobin, was one of his research assistants. After graduating in 1986, Chesebro opened his own law firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1987, and continued to do occasional work with Tribe for at least the next 13 years. During this time, Chesebro and Tribe worked on Bush v. Gore in support of Vice President Gore. In 2023, Tribe said that Chesebro was "obviously bright and seemingly decent" but also stated that "even though we used to be friends, I really think he should never again be allowed to practice law".
In 2016, Chesebro's legal work began to support conservative causes and prominent Republicans, which may have contributed to Tribe's negative opinion of him. That year, Chesebro filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in a case involving the citizenship of residents of American Samoa, and he also began making contributions to Republican politicians such as J. D. Vance and Ron Johnson. By 2020, Chesebro had donated over $50,000 to Republicans and advised Republican elector candidates to meet and vote at the appropriate time and place, despite the election having apparently gone against Trump.
Chesebro's actions in support of Trump's campaign to overturn the 2020 election loss led to his indictment in Georgia and Wisconsin, as well as his suspension from practising law in New York. Tribe, Chesebro's former mentor, joined an ethics complaint filed with the New York Bar regarding a December 6 memo in which Chesebro proposed that Vice President Mike Pence recuse himself from certifying the election results. Tribe complained that "Chesebro completely misused part of the latest edition of my constitutional law treatise" in the memo.
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Chesebro's involvement in the 2020 election
Kenneth Chesebro is an American attorney who gained notoriety for his involvement in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and his association with Donald Trump's campaign.
Chesebro's political leanings began to shift around 2016, when he changed his political affiliation from Democrat to unaffiliated. He started supporting and donating to Republican politicians and causes. In 2020, he donated $2,800 to the Trump campaign and has since donated over $50,000 to Republicans.
Chesebro's role in the 2020 election centered on his legal expertise and strategy. He wrote several memos outlining a plan to help Trump win the election by challenging the Wisconsin vote and the votes in other contested" states. The memos proposed using "alternate slates" or "false electors" to cast electoral votes for Trump, even in states where Biden had won. This scheme aimed to delay the certification of Biden's victory or create enough uncertainty to sway public opinion about electoral abuses by the Democrats.
Chesebro advised that Republican elector candidates meet and vote at the appropriate time and place, following legal procedures as if they were the appointed electors. He argued that if Wisconsin decided Trump had won, these elector votes would be required to be registered. He also suggested that Vice President Mike Pence, who had a conflict of interest, recuse himself from certifying the election results, proposing an alternative senator to assume this role.
Chesebro's memos were shared with Trump campaign lawyers, including John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani, and inspired a broader scheme that extended to seven states. However, Pence refused to participate in the plan.
Chesebro's actions led to legal consequences. He was indicted in Georgia and Wisconsin for his involvement in the fake elector scheme. He pleaded guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to file false documents and received probation, restitution, and community service. As a result, he was also suspended indefinitely from practising law in New York.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Kenneth Chesebro was suspended indefinitely from practising law in New York.
Chesebro was suspended due to his involvement in the 2020 election. He was indicted alongside Trump in Fulton County on seven charges, including conspiracy to commit filing false documents.
Chesebro was a Democrat until 2016. He donated to Clinton, Kerry and Obama. However, in 2020, he donated $2,800 to Trump's presidential campaign.
Chesebro was named as Co-Conspirator 5 in the federal indictment against Trump. He was the key architect of a strategy to use fake electors to overturn the election.
Yes, Chesebro has represented Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and other Republican politicians in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on a voting rights case.
