Democrats Try To Ruin John Eastman’s Life And Career While Promising To Do The Same To You

Last month, the Supreme Court asked the State Bar of California to defend its disbarment of former Trump attorney John Eastman over his political beliefs, advocacy, and service to President Trump. The court requested a reply from the state bar by Dec. 16. California’s attack on Eastman is indefensible: the Supreme Court must step in, correct this egregious injustice, and prevent California from setting a potentially disastrous precedent. Eastman has one of the best legal resumes in America. He clerked for federal appeals court Judge Michael Luttig as well as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. These are two of the most prestigious clerkships in America for conservative attorneys. He taught at the University of Colorado, Boulder, served as dean of Chapman University School of Law, and founded the Claremont Institute’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence. For decades, he has been respected as both an academic and practitioner. It was this elite resume that led President Trump to seek Eastman’s advice after the 2020 presidential election. At the president’s request, Eastman laid out his interpretation of the Electoral Count Act, which he argued allowed the vice president to refuse to certify election results when the validity of electoral votes was in doubt. Eastman defended this opinion in a series of memos and articles in both public and private. Ever since then, the left has tried to make Eastman’s life a living hell. Biden-appointed special counsel Jack Smith named him an unindicted co-conspirator in his far-reaching witch hunt. Arizona attempted to jail him for his efforts to send an alternate slate of electors to vote in the 2020 election. And now, five years after his work for President Trump, the California State Bar has disbarred him from practicing law in his home state. The Left’s More Aggressive Posture His offense? The allegations all boil down to this: having an opinion and advocating for it as an attorney. In other words, doing his job. The left has waged lawfare on a massive scale for decades. But the Eastman case shows a shift in tactics and an even more aggressive posture. The left is going beyond its usual lawfare to barfare, attempting to strip Eastman of his ability to practice law explicitly on the basis of his political beliefs. Once again, the left is tearing down guardrails that protected the rule of law and setting precedents that may come back to haunt them. Disbarment is a serious punishment that is rarely used. Out of America’s 1.4 million lawyers, only about 500 are disbarred in any given year. This most serious punishment must be reserved for the most serious cases. In Eastman’s case, the state bar has argued that his legal interpretations, as well as his personal belief that there was large-scale fraud in the 2020 presidential election, are examples of lying or dishonesty. In other words, the California Bar holds that those who disagree with its opinions are “lying.” You don’t have to share Eastman’s legal opinion to recognize that he was well within his rights to hold it, defend it, and advocate for it. In fact, Eastman’s candor and boldness show emphatically that he was not lying but defending his sincere beliefs. Shutting Down Open Debate The persecution of Eastman is also another example of the left shutting down free and open debate when faced with any disagreement. Those who disagree with Eastman should argue against him using facts and logic. Instead, the left simply wants Eastman canceled from the entire legal profession, forbidding him to express his opinions for fear that someone might be persuaded by them. This is the tribute that vice pays to virtue, for if Eastman were as wrong as they claim, then no punishment or cancellation would be necessary. Eastman is too smart, too erudite to be dismissed out of hand, and so the left wants him forced out of the calling at which he has so excelled for decades. Chilling Effect on Attorneys If allowed to stand, this disbarment would have an immediate chilling effect on attorneys across America. Suppose you are a liberal attorney in Texas or Florida, or a conservative in New York: you will effectively have to keep your mouth shut about your beliefs if you want to continue to earn a living and feed your family. That chilling effect goes against what being an attorney is all about: not running and hiding from debate but giving clients the best possible advocacy you can provide. We will soon find out whether the court recognizes the gravity of this situation and stands up for the First Amendment or whether the practice of law — like so much else in modern America — is to be swallowed up by politics. 2020 ElectionattorneysbarfareCalifornia State BardebatedisbarmentElectoral Count ActJack SmithJohn EastmanlawfarelawyersSupreme Courtthe left