In the immediate aftermath of the 2020 election, Trump-allied lawyers filed 65 lawsuits across the country to overturn the legitimate election results. Finding the assertions bogus and riddled with false statements, Republican- and Democratic-appointed judges uniformly dismissed the lawsuits. But success in the courtroom was not the only objective. Instead, the lawyers bringing these claims knew they were a key component of a larger effort to discredit the 2020 presidential election – and all future elections in which their preferred candidate lost.
The 65 Project is a bi-partisan effort to protect democracy and preserve the rule of law by deterring future attacks on our electoral system. We are holding accountable Big Lie Lawyers who bring fraudulent and malicious lawsuits to overturn legitimate election results, and working with bar associations to revitalize the disciplinary process so that lawyers, including public officials, who subvert democracy will be punished.
Lawyers take an oath to stand as officers of the court, bound by a code of conduct and ethical requirements that do not apply to the public more broadly. They cannot uphold that duty while lying to the court or the public about the factual grounds for phony claims. The 65 Project will work to hold accountable the lawyers who raise fraudulent claims to overturn legitimate elections results, while also creating a rule-based system to prevent future attempts and to strengthen the mechanisms for accountability and deterrence.
