A day after the ruling, disciplinary counsel in D.C. recommended suspending Giuliani’s license in D.C. until the New York case is resolved. On Wednesday the D.C. Court of Appeals agreed.
Neither decision is final, but disciplinary proceedings can last for years and could ultimately lead to sanctions including stripping an attorney of their law license. The New York committee found that an interim suspension was warranted because Giuliani’s conduct “immediately threatens the public interest.”
The New York suspension order says Giuliani fabricated claims about dead people voting in Pennsylvania and Michigan, felons and minors voting in Georgia, and undocumented people voting in Arizona.
Giuliani’s license in D.C. was inactive, meaning he could not have practiced in court in the city without making a formal request and paying dues. The decision Wednesday means he is not eligible to do so. An attorney does not have to be licensed in D.C. to practice in federal court, only local court. But to practice in D.C. federal court, an attorney must be an active member in good standing of a state bar association.
Attorneys for Giuliani could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday evening.
But after the New York decision last month, retired judges John Leventhal and Barry Kamins, who are representing Giuliani in the disciplinary proceeding in that state, said in a joint statement that they “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.”