fbpx

States United Democracy Center Applauds Colorado’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel for Holding Trump Attorney Jenna Ellis Accountable

States United Filed an Ethics Complaint Against Ellis for Assisting in Former President Trump’s Attempts to Discredit and Overturn the 2020 Election

Published: 3.8.23

Denver, CO — The States United Democracy Center today issued the following statement in response to the Colorado Supreme Court’s Presiding Disciplinary Judge’s censure of former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis for her role in spreading lies and conspiracies about the 2020 election. States United filed an ethics complaint against Jenna Ellis with the Colorado Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel in May 2022.

Aaron Scherzer, Senior Counsel at the States United Democracy Center:

“Jenna Ellis repeatedly went on television and on Twitter to promote the reckless lie that the 2020 election was stolen. As counsel to former President Trump and the Trump campaign, she abused her law license as part of an attempt to overturn the will of the American people—a plot that ultimately led to a violent insurrection.

As part of this public censure, Jenna Ellis agrees that she knowingly misrepresented the facts at least 10 separate times, including by falsely claiming that Donald Trump was the “true victor” in the 2020 election. Ellis rightly admits that her actions undermined public confidence in our elections. Her lies did lasting damage, and her name will forever be linked to this assault on our democracy.

Elected officials, candidates for office, and the attorneys who represent them must uphold the principles of our democracy. When they don’t, there must be consequences. That’s how we make sure the will of the people is always respected. And it’s why States United filed an ethics complaint against Ellis in Colorado last year.

Today’s result is an important step forward for accountability, which remains one of the strongest tools we have to prevent another attack on our democracy like on January 6, 2021. We encourage other state bars to follow the Colorado Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel’s example and take similar steps to hold attorneys involved in the plot to overturn the 2020 election accountable for their actions.”

The States United Democracy Center’s ethics complaint against Jenna Ellis was supported by more than a dozen bipartisan signatories, including former Republican officials, leading law professors, and the Bush and Obama White House ethics advisors. It’s one of a series of actions taken by States United and other legal experts to hold democracy violators accountable for their attempts to undermine the will of the voters in 2020 and their contributions to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

###

About the States United Democracy Center

The States United Democracy Center is a nonpartisan organization advancing free, fair, and secure elections. We focus on connecting 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://statesunited.org/.