A federal appeals court has suspended conservative attorney Kenneth Chesebro from practicing law in Washington, D.C.
Chesebro is widely known as one of the authors of the so-called “coup memos,” documents outlining legal strategies for how President Donald Trump could challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election. He was a key architect of the alternate, or “fake,” electors plan.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an order “on the court’s own motion” suspending Chesebro from practicing before the court.
The one-page order cites Chesebro’s conviction in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia, in October 2023—a conviction stemming directly from his discredited pro-Trump legal work.
As part of the broader fallout from the fake electors scheme, Chesebro faced seven charges in a wide-ranging indictment filed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in August 2023. The charges included one alleged RICO violation, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, multiple counts of conspiracy to commit forgery, conspiracy to commit false statements and writing, and conspiracy to file false documents.
On Oct. 20, 2023, days before his trial was scheduled to begin, Chesebro pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents. In exchange, the remaining six charges were dropped. Under his plea deal, he agreed to testify for the state against other defendants and received five years probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $5,000 fine.
The legal consequences continued to mount.
In February 2024, Chesebro’s law license was suspended in California. In March 2024, Massachusetts followed. New York suspended his license in October 2024, and Florida in November 2024—a suspension Chesebro is currently contesting in that state’s supreme court. In June, Chesebro was disbarred in New York, again citing his conviction for a serious crime.
The docket for the D.C. suspension notes many of these prior actions. The court’s order mirrors language used in the New York disbarment, confirming Chesebro “has been convicted of a serious crime.”
The ruling cites Rule III (a) of the Rules of Disciplinary Enforcement for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which provides that once a certified judgment shows an attorney has been convicted of a serious crime, the court shall immediately suspend the attorney, regardless of any pending appeals, until final disciplinary proceedings are complete.
The appeals court also referred the matter to its Admissions and Grievances Committee to recommend the scope of final discipline, which will determine Chesebro’s ultimate standing to practice law in the district.
