Rudy Giuliani has been suspended from practicing law in the state of New York in response to false claims he made about the 2020 presidential election.
A state appellate court concluded that the former New York City mayor communicated “demonstrably false and misleading statements” about the election to courts, lawmakers, and the public at large when serving as a personal lawyer for former President Donald Trump.
“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,” court documents say.
The court says Giuliani’s conduct “immediately threatens the public interest” and it warrants interim suspension from practicing law, pending further proceedings before the Attorney Grievance Committee.
Giuliani led Trump’s campaign that sought to overturn the November election that was won by now-President Joe Biden. The GOP-backed effort claimed widespread voter fraud led to the Democrat's victory, but little to no evidence was ever presented to support that claim and the cases were largely dismissed in courts.
Meanwhile, Giuliani remains under investigation in connection with his dealings with Ukraine during Trump’s presidency. In April, federal agents in the probe searched his home and seized electronic devices.
Giuliani is also facing billion-dollar defamation lawsuits brought by Dominion Voting Systems, a voting machine company at the center of conspiracy theories related to the election.