Today, millions of Americans watched Donald J. Trump swear the oath of office to become the 47th President of the United States.
President Trump’s path to this day has been more tortuous, by orders of magnitude, than that of any other presidential candidate in our nation’s history. But while the “greatest political comeback in American history” unfolds, those responsible for the lawfare launched at President Trump are not resting.
This lawfare has taken a toll not just on the rule of law and the respect for the judicial system, but on individuals. One such individual is Life Legal Advisory Board member John Eastman, constitutional lawyer, law professor, and former dean of Chapman Law School.
Last week, Madison Media Fund released an hour-long documentary titled “The Eastman Dilemma: Lawfare or Justice.” In this documentary, we hear not only from Prof. Eastman himself, but from legal experts across the political spectrum explaining and decrying the perversion of the law that has led to him being charged with felonies in two states and threatened with being disbarred, simply for advising a client in a very murky area of the law.
We also learn about the activist organization “The 65 Project,” which misuses state bar ethics complaints to harass and punish any lawyer who represented President Trump or other individuals challenging the legality of election procedures in the 2020 election, with the overt goal of deterring other lawyers from ever challenging the legality of an election that Democrats win. In fact, prior to the 2024 election, the 65 Project bought ads is several swing states to scare off attorneys from even considering challenging the legality of voting procedures, warning: “We have filed 86 bar complaints to date and are reminding lawyers that we – and the public – will be watching them.”
The 65 Project does not publicly disclose its funding sources; however, its primary fiscal sponsor is the Franklin Education Forum, a leftist advocacy organization whose treasurer is none other than Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson.
A hearing judge of the State Bar of California recommended that Prof. Eastman be disbarred, and his appeal to the State Bar Court Review Department will be heard on March 19, 2025. If you want to understand the stakes in this battle and what really lies behind this and other efforts to discourage attorneys from representing disfavored causes, watch this documentary.