The Washington D.C. Court of Appeals has temporarily barred Rudolph W. Giuliani from practicing law in D.C. This decision is coming after a similar decision in New York.
A committee of judges in New York determined last month that Giuliani was unfit to continue to engage in the practice of law after he “communicated demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large” during legal representation of former US president, Donald Trump and the Trump campaign in relation to their efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The disciplinary counsel in D.C., a day after the ruling, recommended the suspension of Giuliani’s license in D.C. pending the hearing and determination of the New York case. The D.C. Court of Appeals agreed.
None of the decisions is final, but disciplinary proceedings could last for several years and could ultimately lead to sanctions which include stripping an attorney of their law license. The New York committee found that an interim suspension was necessary because Giuliani’s conduct “immediately threatens the public interest.”
The New York suspension order says Giuliani fabricated claims about dead people voting in Pennsylvania and Michigan, felons and minors voting in Georgia, and undocumented people voting in Arizona.
Giuliani’s license in D.C. was inactive, which invariably meant that he could not have practiced in court in the city without making a formal request and paying dues. The decision means he is not eligible to do so. An attorney does not have to be licensed in D.C. to practice in federal court, only local court. But to practice in D.C. federal court, an attorney must be an active member in good standing with a state bar association.
The former New York mayor is a defendant in several lawsuits in D.C. federal court seeking to hold him accountable for spreading false claims about election fraud. But he is not representing himself.
Giuliani’s Attorneys could not be reached for comment.
But after the New York decision last month, retired judges John Leventhal and Barry Kamins, who are representing Giuliani in the disciplinary proceeding in that state, said in a joint statement that they “believe that once the issues are fully explored at a hearing, Mr. Giuliani will be reinstated as a valued member of the legal profession that he has served so well in his many capacities for so many years.”
