Last updated on June 7, 2026
California Supreme Court orders surrender of law license
John C. Eastman, a lawyer who helped Donald Trump attempt to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results, has lost his license to practice law in California.
The Golden State’s highest court ordered disbarment Wednesday.
Eastman advised former Vice President Michael R. Pence that the Constitution allowed him to refuse to accept electoral college ballots from several states in his role as president of the U.S. Senate. He also helped Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, a plan for that move.
Eastman is affiliated with the right-wing Claremont Institute. He is a former law clerk to Republican Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
A California State Bar court recommended disbarment in March 2024. Eastman has also lost the privilege to practice law in the District of Columbia.
Eastman was indicted by Georgia authorities in 2023 for his participation in Trump’s scheme to alter the Peach State’s 2020 presidential election results. That case was dropped in Nov. 2025. He was also indicted in Arizona in May 2024. That case remains active.
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