Former President Donald Trump’s lawyer, Jenna Ellis, has been censured by the Colorado Bar Association for making ten false statements about the 2020 election.
The false statements made by Jenna Ellis included claims that “ballots were manipulated,” “the election was stolen,” and “500,000 votes in Arizona were cast illegally.” As part of her disciplinary settlement, Ellis acknowledged that these statements were misrepresentations.
The presiding disciplinary judge overseeing the complaint, Bryon Large, ruled that Ellis violated Colorado bar rules by engaging in conduct “involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.” The advocacy groups 65 Project and States United Democracy Center filed ethics complaints against Ellis, with the latter stating that she repeatedly went on television and Twitter to “promote the reckless lie that the 2020 election was stolen.”
Ellis is one of several Trump lawyers who have been disciplined or faced lawsuits over their efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Large held a hearing on the misrepresentations Ellis acknowledged, ruling that her lack of prior misconduct mitigated her behavior. However, he also ruled that she had a “selfish motive” and “engaged in a pattern of misconduct,” resulting in a public censure.
Ellis slammed the investigation as “politically motivated,” stating that critics had failed to destroy her by depriving her of her law license. Her lawyer, Michael Melito, confirmed that Ellis remains a practicing attorney in good standing in Colorado. However, Scherzer of States United stated that Ellis had abused her law license as part of an attempt to overturn the election, with her lies doing lasting damage to democracy.
Rudy Giuliani, another Trump lawyer, had his law licenses suspended in New York and Washington, D.C., for false statements he made about the election. Meanwhile, Sidney Powell, another Trump lawyer, remains a defendant in lawsuits by Dominion and Smartmatic voting systems.
The disciplinary process should be revamped to ensure that such deliberate actions do not go unpunished. It is essential to restore public confidence in the legal profession and prevent attacks on democracy like the one that occurred on January 6. We must hold those who abuse their positions accountable for their actions to prevent further damage to our democracy.
