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A judge has recommended that conservative attorney John Eastman lose his California\u00a0law license<\/a>\u00a0over his efforts to keep former President Donald Trump in power after the 2020 election.<\/p>\n Eastman, a former law school dean, faces 11 disciplinary charges in the state bar court stemming from his development of a legal strategy to have then-Vice President Mike Pence interfere with the certification of President Joe Biden\u2019s victory.<\/p>\n State Bar Court of California Judge Yvette Roland\u2019s recommendation, issued Wednesday, now goes to the California Supreme Court for a final ruling on whether he should be disbarred. Eastman can appeal the top court\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n Eastman\u2019s attorney, Randall A. Miller, said in an email that he and his client were \u201cdigesting the decision\u201d and would have a more complete statement on the judge\u2019s decision later.<\/p>\n The California State Bar is a regulatory agency and the only court system in the U.S. that is dedicated to attorney discipline.<\/p>\n Eastman separately faces criminal charges in Georgia in the case\u00a0accusing Trump and 18 allies<\/a>\u00a0of conspiring to overturn the Republican\u2019s loss in the state. Eastman, who has pleaded not guilty, has argued he was merely doing his job as Trump\u2019s attorney when he challenged the results of the 2020 election. He has denounced the case as targeting attorneys \u201cfor their zealous advocacy on behalf of their clients.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s also one of the\u00a0unnamed co-conspirators<\/a>\u00a0in the\u00a0separate 2020 election interference case<\/a>\u00a0brought by special counsel Jack Smith, but Eastman is not charged in the federal case.<\/p>\n The State Bar of California alleged that Eastman\u00a0violated the state\u2019s business and professions code<\/a>\u00a0by making false and misleading statements that constitute acts of \u201cmoral turpitude, dishonesty, and corruption.\u201d In doing so, the agency says he \u201cviolated this duty in furtherance of an attempt to usurp the will of the American people and overturn election results for the highest office in the land \u2014 an egregious and unprecedented attack on our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n In her decision, Roland wrote: \u201cIn view of the circumstances surrounding Eastman\u2019s misconduct and balancing the aggravation and mitigation, the court recommends that Eastman be disbarred.\u201d<\/p>\n Eastman was a close adviser to Trump in the run-up to the\u00a0Jan. 6, 2021, attack<\/a>\u00a0on the U.S. Capitol. He wrote a memo laying out a plan for Pence to reject legitimate electoral votes for Biden while presiding over the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 in order to keep Trump in the White House.<\/p>\n Prosecutors seeking to\u00a0strip Eastman of his law license<\/a>\u00a0depicted him as a Trump enabler who fabricated a baseless theory and made false claims of fraud in hopes of overturning the results of the election.<\/p>\n Eastman\u2019s attorney countered that his client never intended to steal the election but was considering ways to delay electoral vote counting so states could investigate allegations of voting improprieties. Trump\u2019s claims of fraud were roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed.<\/p>\n The judge wasn\u2019t persuaded by Eastman\u2019s claim that his actions amounted to no more than a dedicated representation of Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is true that an attorney has a duty to engage in zealous advocacy on behalf of a client,\u201d Roland wrote. \u201cHowever, Eastman\u2019s inaccurate assertions were lies that cannot be justified as zealous advocacy. Eastman failed to uphold his primary duty of honesty and breached his ethical obligations by presenting falsehoods to bolster his legal arguments. Finally, the court notes that acts of moral turpitude are a departure from professional norms and are unequivocally outside the realm of protection afforded by the First Amendment and the obligation of vigorous advocacy.\u201d<\/p>\n The States United Democracy Center, which filed an early ethics complaint against Eastman, cheered the judge\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a crucial victory in the effort to hold accountable those who tried to overturn the 2020 election. After hearing from almost two dozen witnesses over a 35-day trial, the court found that John Eastman violated his ethical duties to uphold the constitution,\u201d said Christine P. Sun, a senior vice president for the nonprofit. \u201cThis decision sends an unmistakable message: No one is above the law \u2014 not presidents, and not their lawyers.\u201d<\/p>\n Eastman has been a member of the California Bar since 1997, according to its website. He was a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and a founding director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, a law firm affiliated with the Claremont Institute. He ran for California attorney general in 2010, finishing second in the Republican primary.<\/p>\n Eastman was dean of Chapman University law school in Southern California from 2007 to 2010 and was a professor at the school\u00a0when he retired in 2021<\/a>\u00a0after more than 160 faculty members signed a letter calling for the university to take action against him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSubscribe to the new Fortune CEO Weekly Europe newsletter to get corner office insights on the biggest business stories in Europe. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n