The New York Supreme Court on Thursday announced that it is suspending Rudy Giuliani’s license to practice law in the state.
In a 33-page decision, the court said the seriousness of Giuliani’s “uncontroverted misconduct can not be overstated.”
The court concluded in a 33-page ruling that Giuliani made “demonstrably false and misleading statements” to courts, lawmakers and the public when he was representing former President Trump and his campaign in their failed effort to overturn the 2020 election results.
The court said the seriousness of Giuliani’s “uncontroverted misconduct can not be overstated” and determined that Trump’s former personal attorney should have his license suspended while a disciplinary action continues to be considered.
The court added that Giuliani’s misconduct will “likely result in substantial permanent sanctions” once the disciplinary proceedings have concluded.
“For the reasons that follow, we conclude that there is uncontroverted evidence that respondent communicated demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large in his capacity as lawyer for former President Donald J. Trump and the Trump campaign in connection with Trump’s failed effort at reelection in 2020,” the court wrote.
The court said its decision stemmed from Giuliani’s “incredibly serious” misconduct, which it said posed “an immediate threat to the public.”
“This country is being torn apart by continued attacks on the legitimacy of the 2020 election and of our current president, Joseph R. Biden. The hallmark of our democracy is predicated on free and fair elections. False statements intended to foment a loss of confidence in our elections and resulting loss of confidence in government generally damage the proper functioning of a free society,” the court wrote.
Reacting to the ruling, Giuliani released a statement through his lawyers, saying he’s not dangerous to the public.
“We are disappointed with the Appellate Division, First Department’s decision suspending Mayor Giuliani prior to being afforded a hearing on the issues that are alleged. This is unprecedented as we believe that our client does not pose a present danger to the public interest,” retired judges John Leventhal and Barry Kamins, who represent Giuliani, said, according to The Hill.
Giuliani, in the days and weeks following the 2020 election, was one of the attorneys overseeing Trump’s legal challenges to the electoral results in a number of states.
Giuliani, according to the court, had argued in his defense that “there is no immediate threat of future harm” because he has and will “continue to exercise personal discipline” to refrain from discussing the matters of the election in public.
