The Supreme Court has denied a plea from indicted right-wing lawyer John Eastman to dismiss court rulings linking him to former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
The ruling, issued on Monday, upholds previous lower court judgments, granting Capitol riot investigators access to Eastman’s emails as part of their investigation into the events of January 6, 2021. A federal judge in California had earlier ruled that Eastman’s emails contained evidence of a potential crime related to Trump’s bid to retain power.
Eastman, credited as the legal mastermind behind the strategy to have then-Vice President Mike Pence use his ceremonial role to obstruct Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory, aimed at keeping Trump in office despite losing the election.
Notably, the Supreme Court ruling reveals that Justice Clarence Thomas recused himself from the decision. Thomas, facing criticism for not recusing himself in cases involving potential conflicts of interest, had previously failed to disclose substantial gifts from a GOP megadonor.
BREAKING: The Supreme Court has *denied* John Eastman's effort to vacate the court rulings that resulted in his emails going to the Jan. 6 select committee.
Most notable? Clarence Thomas (the subject of some key Eastman emails) recused. pic.twitter.com/lXPYrIvQNt
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) October 2, 2023
Although Thomas did not specify the reason for his recusal, it is publicly known that Eastman had previously clerked for him, and there was contact between Eastman and Thomas’s wife, right-wing activist Ginni Thomas. This contact suggested Ginni Thomas’s greater involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election than previously known.
Some of Eastman’s emails also brought Clarence Thomas into focus, with top Trump advisers discussing him as a potential ally in convincing the Supreme Court to endorse Trump’s attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.
The emails, inadvertently made public during a legal battle between Eastman and the House Jan. 6 Committee, indicated discussions within Trump’s legal team about leveraging Thomas’s influence to challenge the election results. In response to a query from indicted Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro, Eastman agreed that Thomas could be crucial in obtaining a favorable judicial opinion by January 6, potentially impacting the Georgia count in Congress.
In August, a Georgia grand jury indicted Eastman and 18 co-defendants, including Trump, on charges related to attempting to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. The California bar is also working to revoke Eastman’s law license for his involvement in the scheme.
Eastman had attempted to shield his emails from the House Jan. 6 Committee, citing attorney-client privilege. However, U.S. District Judge David Carter ruled in. favor of the Jan. 6 committee, stating that there was an exception for any ongoing or future crimes.
The high court’s decision on Monday affirms Carter’s rulings, solidifying evidence of Eastman’s involvement in overturning the 2020 election.
