Constitutional law scholar who devised legal theories for overturning the 2020 election; indicted in Georgia RICO case, disbarred 2024
Background
John Charles Eastman is a conservative constitutional law scholar and attorney who was dean of the Chapman University Fowler School of Law from 2007 to 2010. He authored a series of memos in December 2020 and January 2021 arguing that Vice President Mike Pence had the constitutional authority to reject or delay certification of electoral votes, legal theories that were widely rejected by constitutional scholars. He was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the federal January 6 indictment and was indicted in the Georgia RICO case in August 2023. The California State Bar disbarred him in March 2024 for his role in the election-subversion effort.
