The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) announced on Monday that it is launching an inquiry into whether Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, should be banned from the organization because of his role helping Trump challenge the presidential election results.
The NYSBA accused Giuliani of fanning the flames last week when a rogue group forcefully entered the U.S. Capitol building.
By claiming the election was stolen from Trump, Giuliani helped incite the mob, the group said.
“NYSBA has received hundreds of complaints in recent months about Mr. Giuliani and his baseless efforts on behalf of President Trump to cast doubt on the veracity of the 2020 presidential election and, after the votes were cast, to overturn its legitimate results,” the NYSBA said in a statement. “Based on these complaints, and the statement Mr. Giuliani uttered shortly before the attack on the Capitol, NYSBA President Scott M. Karson has launched an inquiry pursuant to the Association’s bylaws to determine whether Mr. Giuliani should be removed from the membership rolls of the Association.”
The move would not disbar Giuliani, since only the state court system can disbar attorneys in New York.
“He would still be able to practice law without NYSBA membership,” the group clarified.
The NYSBA cited its bylaws, which state, “no person who advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States, or of any state, territory or possession thereof, or of any political subdivision therein, by force or other illegal means, shall be a member of the Association.”
Giuliani’s speech at the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6 violated this standard because it was “quite clearly intended to encourage Trump supporters unhappy with the election’s outcome to take matters into their own hands.”
The bar association isn’t the only organization reconsidering its ties to Giuliani.
Middlebury College in Vermont said Sunday it is weighing whether to revoke an honorary degree given in 2005 in recognition of Giuliani’s leadership during the 9/11 attack.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report).
