DENVER — Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis has agreed to a three-year suspension of her Colorado law license for a felony guilty plea in Georgia after admitting she made repeated false statements about the 2020 presidential election.
A state disciplinary judge approved the settlement between Ellis and Colorado's Attorney Regulation Counsel on Tuesday afternoon. Ellis was former President Donald Trump's senior legal adviser in 2020.
She was first censured by Colorado's Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel (OARC) in March 2023, after she acknowledged making 10 “misrepresentations” on television and social media during Trump's fight to stay in power after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden.
Ellis' misconduct caused "significant actual harm" in multiple ways, the court writes, one of which being that it "undermined the American public's confidence in the presidential election process." Her suspension takes effect on July 2.
Two government watchdog groups were trying to have Ellis disbarred altogether.
"Attorneys are often disbarred after being convicted of a felony, particularly where the conviction flows from criminal acts committed while acting as an attorney," court documents read. "However, disbarment is not automatic, even for felony convictions."
"While disbarment is the presumptive sanction for [Ellis'] misconduct, it is significant that her criminal culpability was due to her conduct as an accessory, not as a principal," the stipulation says.
In addition to her three-year suspension, Ellis has to pay $5,000 to the Georgia secretary of state, complete 100 hours of community service and write an apology letter to the residents of Georgia.
In a letter submitted as part of the settlement agreement, Ellis says the "Stop The Steal" campaign was "cynical" and misleading, while also claiming there are bad actors on both sides.
"I do not do this as a political calculation," Ellis says. "I was wrong to be involved."
She goes on to say that she initially believed her actions were in good faith but now admits that she was "overly zealous in believing the 'facts' being peddled to support the challenge, which were manufactured and false." She encourages others who may still believe the election was stolen to consider changing their position.
If Ellis wants to reinstate her Colorado law license after her suspension, the court requires that she "prove by clear and convincing evidence that she has been rehabilitated, has complied with all disciplinary orders and rules, and is fit to practice law."
Ellis has also been indicted in Arizona in another election interference case, where she is one of 18 defendants.
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