Eastman v. Thompson

2022 WL 894256, 594 F. Supp.3d 1156 (2022)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Eastman v. Thompson

United States District Court for the Central District of California
2022 WL 894256, 594 F. Supp.3d 1156 (2022)

  • Written by Liz Nakamura, JD

Facts

[Editor’s Note: This brief, and the corresponding casebook excerpt, cover only a small piece of the lengthy discovery order issued by the Central District of California on March 28, 2022.] After President Donald Trump lost the November 2020 election, Trump filed numerous lawsuits alleging election fraud, most of which were dismissed for lack of evidence. Congress was scheduled to certify the states’ electoral votes, thereby finalizing the election results, on January 6, 2021. Before January 6, Trump plotted with his attorney, Dr. John Eastman (plaintiff), to overturn the election. Trump and Eastman, together and separately, held multiple meetings with high-ranking government officials to further their plot. A key part of the plan was to have Vice President Michael Pence reject the states’ electors, thereby preventing the certification of the election results. Pence refused to comply despite Trump’s multiple attempts to pressure Pence. Multiple attorneys and lawmakers explained to Trump and Eastman that their plot was unlawful. Eastman himself acknowledged on multiple occasions that the plan to have Pence unilaterally reject the states’ electors violated federal law. On January 6, Trump’s supporters attacked the United States Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the certification of the election results. After the failed insurrection, the House of Representatives formed the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol (Select Committee) (defendant). The Select Committee subpoenaed documents from Eastman related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the election. Eastman filed for injunctive relief, arguing that the subpoenaed documents were protected by the attorney-client privilege. The Select Committee countered, arguing that the documents were disclosable under the crime-fraud exception.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Carter, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 815,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership