NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Rudy Giuliani’s law license was suspended in New York state on Thursday after a court found he made “demonstrably false and misleading statements” about the 2020 election.
The appeals court found there was “uncontroverted evidence” that Giuliani made false statements while serving as Donald Trump's lawyer as the former president mounted a failed legal challenge to the election results.
Giuliani's attorneys said in a statement that it was “unprecedented” for Giuliani to be suspended before “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,” attorneys Barry Kamins and John Leventhal wrote. “We believe that once the issues are fully explored at a hearing Mr. Giuliani will be reinstated as a valued member of the legal profession that he has served so well in his many capacities for so many years.”
In its decision, the appellate court wrote that the ex-mayor and former federal prosecutor “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 that "these false statements were made to improperly bolster (Giuliani's) narrative that due to widespread voter fraud, victory in the 2020 United States presidential election was stolen from his client."
The court said Giuliani's conduct "immediately threatens the public interest and warrants interim suspension from the practice of law, pending further proceedings before the Attorney Grievance Committee."
The ruling, signed Thursday, will prevent Giuliani from representing clients as a lawyer.
Giuliani can fight the temporary suspension amid disciplinary proceedings. However, the court wrote, "the underlying offense is incredibly serious, and the uncontroverted misconduct in itself will likely result in substantial permanent sanctions at the conclusion of these disciplinary proceedings."
Giuliani had claimed that the investigation into his conduct violated his First Amendment right of free speech and that he did not knowingly make false statements, according to the decision.
The court rejected those arguments, noting that in Pennsylvania, Giuliani failed to “provide a scintilla of evidence for any of the varying and wildly inconsistent numbers of dead people he factually represented voted in Philadelphia during the 2020 presidential election.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.