Jenna Ellis, a former legal adviser to former President Donald Trump during the 2020 election, has been barred from practicing law in the state of Colorado for three years. This suspension of her law license comes as a result of an agreement reached with state legal regulators. The disciplinary proceedings against Ellis stemmed from her indictment in Fulton County, Georgia, for her alleged involvement in a scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. She pleaded guilty to a felony charge of aiding and abetting false statements and writing in violation of Georgia law and was sentenced to five years probation.
The disciplinary actions against Ellis were also based on baseless claims she made about the integrity of the 2020 election while serving as a legal adviser to Trump and his campaign. Trump and his allies had falsely claimed that the election was rigged against him, despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud. The stipulation entered into by Colorado’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel and Ellis acknowledged that disbarment was the presumptive sanction for her misconduct, but noted that her criminal culpability was due to her conduct as an accessory, not as a principal.
In a letter dated May 22 as part of the stipulation, Ellis expressed deep remorse for her actions surrounding the 2020 election. She admitted to being overly zealous in believing false claims and spreading baseless information about voter fraud. Ellis acknowledged that she failed to investigate the alleged facts before promoting them as truth, and that she turned a blind eye to the possibility that senior lawyers for the Trump Campaign were embracing claims they knew or should have known were false. She emphasized the importance of election integrity for democracy to function and thrive, and recognized the harm caused by spreading false claims about the election.
Ellis accepted the three-year suspension for practicing law in Colorado and reiterated her regret for becoming involved in spreading false claims about the election. The agreement reached with state legal regulators marks a significant consequence for Ellis’s actions during the 2020 election and the subsequent legal proceedings. The suspension of her law license is a result of her admission of guilt and remorse for her role in spreading misinformation and baseless claims about the integrity of the election. This case highlights the importance of ethical conduct in the legal profession and the consequences that can result from failing to uphold professional standards.
