The attorney who stood at the forefront of former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss claims is giving up his law license, choosing to retire rather than face a possible disbarment.
In a letter to officials in the state of Georgia, Lin Wood formally relinquished his law license July 4, acknowledging that by doing so he would be prohibited from practicing law within the state or any other state or jurisdiction and would not be permitted to apply for readmission, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
“Today, I AM RETIRED!!! The State Bar of Georgia has agreed to drop the disciplinary cases against me in return for my agreement to take the status of RETIRED,” Wood announced on his Telegram page, according to The Daily Beast.
Lin Wood, attorney who challenged Trump’s 2020 loss, gives up law license as states weigh disciplining himhttps://t.co/9Bd7QO8OUS pic.twitter.com/FHQwlXjFa5
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 5, 2023
Wood, who has been a licensed attorney in Georgia since 1977, gained notoriety following the 2020 Presidential election after taking up the mantle of Trump’s election fraud claims. Trump praised Wood’s efforts to file legal challenges over alleged fraud in the 2020 election, though multiple lawsuits brought by Wood and lawyer Sidney Powell were rejected by courts across the country, according to The AP. (RELATED: Judge: Pro-Trump Lawyers Who Sued To Overturn The 2020 Election Might Deserve To Lose Their License To Practice Law)
In 2021, a federal judge imposed sanctions on Powell, Wood and other pro-Trump attorneys for their election fraud lawsuit in Michigan stating they had “filed the lawsuit in bad faith and for improper use,” Politico reported at the time. U.S. District Judge Linda Parker argued Powell, Wood and other attorney’s involved in the “frivolous” lawsuits might deserve to lose their licenses to practice law.
Officials in Georgia were planning on holding a disciplinary trial against Wood later in 2023 to determine whether or not the seasoned lawyer would be disbarred. Following Wood’s request, however, the Bar dismissed the two complaints against Wood, The AP noted.
The Office of General Counsel made a statement in the wake of Wood’s voluntary retirement, stating “it has achieved the goals of disciplinary action, including protecting the public and the integrity of the judicial system and the legal profession” as Wood is no longer able to practice law, The AP reported.