New York suspends Giuliani's law license over 'false and misleading' election claims

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been suspended from practicing law in New York over his "false and misleading" claims about the 2020 election.

A New York appellate court on Thursday suspended Giuliani's law license, as a disciplinary panel concluded that his conduct threatened "the public interest and warrants interim suspension from the practice of law," The New York Times reports.

Giuliani led former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, pushing false allegations of widespread voter fraud and claiming President Biden was not legitimately elected.

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"We conclude that there is uncontroverted evidence that respondent 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 decision said.

The decision also says that the false statements made by Giuliani "constitute uncontroverted proof of respondent's professional misconduct," adding that when such false statements "are made by an attorney, it also erodes the public's confidence in the integrity of attorneys admitted to our bar and damages the profession's role as a crucial source of reliable information."

Giuliani will now be able to fight the suspension, the Times noted, and his lawyers said that "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." But the court said that at the end of the disciplinary proceedings, "the uncontroverted misconduct in itself will likely result in substantial permanent sanctions."