Colorado Files Disciplinary Charges Against Trump Attorney Jenna Ellis

Published January 9, 2024

Denver, CO — The States United Democracy Center released the following statement in response to the Colorado Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel (OARC) filing four disciplinary charges against Trump attorney Jenna Ellis today. The charges follow her felony guilty plea in the Fulton County, Georgia election interference case, as well as a letter from States United and Lawyers Defending American Democracy to the OARC calling for Ellis’s disbarment. The letter was signed by more than a dozen bipartisan legal experts.

Gillian Feiner, Senior Counsel at the States United Democracy Center:

“Lawyers have a responsibility to follow the law and keep their oath. Jenna Ellis’s conduct poisoned trust in our democracy and put election workers in danger. She was already censured in Colorado for lying about the 2020 election on TV. Since then, she’s admitted she went even further and committed a crime when she helped Donald Trump try to overturn his loss.

“No one is above the law. That’s why we urged the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel to seek additional discipline against Jenna Ellis. We’re pleased that the OARC is pursuing further accountability.”

Ellis will now have a chance to respond to the OARC’s complaint. Her trial will take place before a hearing board, which is usually made up of the Presiding Disciplinary Judge and two volunteer attorneys. The Presiding Disciplinary Judge will issue a scheduling order that outlines the timeline and logistics around discovery, motions, and other pre-hearing matters. After the trial, the hearing board will issue a decision on what the appropriate sanction for Ellis is. Ellis or the OARC can appeal the hearing board’s decision to the Colorado Supreme Court. The process is outlined here and FAQs here.

Read States United’s initial ethics complaint against Jenna Ellis, which was one of the complaints that led to her public censure last year. States United and LDAD also teamed up to send a letter to the Texas Bar seeking Sidney Powell’s disbarment following her guilty plea in Georgia. Additional accountability efforts include States United’s bar complaints against John Eastman, which led to his trial in California State Bar Court that is due for a ruling by March.

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About the States United Democracy Center

The States United Democracy Center is a nonpartisan organization advancing free, fair, and secure elections. We connect state officials, law enforcement leaders, and pro-democracy partners across America with the tools and expertise they need to safeguard our democracy. For more information, visit https://statesuniteddemocracy.org/.