By Ella Lee - 07/02/24

Rudy Giuliani, who once served as New York City’s mayor and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, has been disbarred “effective immediately” for his efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election, a state appeals court ruled Tuesday.

A panel of judges in New York’s Appellate Division, First Department wrote that Giuliani “flagrantly misused” his position as an attorney for former President Trump and his campaign to make “intentionally” false statements to courts, lawmakers and the public.

“In so doing, respondent not only deliberately violated some of the most fundamental tenets of the legal profession, but he also actively contributed to the national strife that has followed the 2020 Presidential election, for which he is entirely unrepentant,” they wrote in a 31-page ruling.

The New York appeals panel ordered Giuliani to “desist and refrain” from practicing law in any form, appearing as an attorney before any court or public authority, providing legal advice or presenting himself “in any way” as an attorney.

The decision cited Giuliani’s false claims of smuggled ballots, dead or non-U.S. citizen voters casting ballots in the election as part of their reasoning. It focused on false claims he made about the election in Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Giuliani was admitted to New York’s bar more than 50 years ago, in 1969, but his license to practice law was suspended in 2021 over his efforts to keep Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 presidential election. His law license has also been suspended in Washington, D.C., over the same issues.

Once dubbed “America’s mayor” for his response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack in New York, Giuliani has since been indicted in Georgia and Arizona for his efforts to overturn the election in Trump’s favor. He’s also an unnamed and unindicted co-conspirator in Trump’s federal election subversion case.

He filed for bankruptcy in December a jury ordered him to pay a staggering $148 million to two ex-election workers in Georgia whom he baselessly accused of committing fraud.

Ted Goodman, a political advisor to Giuliani, said the former New York City mayor intends to appeal the decision.

“Members of the legal community who respect the rule of law in this country should immediately come forward and speak out against this politically and ideologically corrupted decision by the New York Bar Association,” Goodman said. “We will be appealing this objectively flawed decision in hopes that the appellate process will restore integrity into our system of justice.”

The Attorney Grievance Committee declined to comment.