Media coalition urges New York Attorney Grievance Committee to make Rudy Giuliani’s disciplinary proceedings, records public
Update: On April 30, the Reporters Committee sent a similar letter to the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, First Department, urging it to release records related to the disciplinary proceedings involving Rudy Giuliani. The court acknowledged receipt of the Reporters Committee’s letter on May 7, assigned it a motion number and indicated that it will provide New York’s Attorney Grievance Committee and Rudy Giuliani the opportunity to respond.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and 32 media organizations are calling on the New York Supreme Court’s Attorney Grievance Committee to release any and all records relating to disciplinary proceedings currently pending against Rudy Giuliani.
In an April 16 letter to the Attorney Grievance Committee, the media coalition argued that the public should have access to the records given the substantial public interest in Giuliani’s role in challenging the outcome of the 2020 presidential election while serving as lead legal counsel for former President Donald J. Trump. The former New York City mayor has faced a number of formal ethics complaints after he engaged in an extensive campaign to overturn election results, including delivering a Jan. 6 speech that House impeachment investigators identified as a key event leading to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
While the Attorney Grievance Committee’s proceedings are often kept confidential, New York law permits appellate justices to release any or all documents related to an investigation into an attorney’s professional conduct provided that “good cause” is shown. “Such ‘good cause’ undoubtedly exists here,” Reporters Committee attorneys wrote in the letter.
“[T]he complaints against Mr. Giuliani are based entirely on statements he made in public and in open court,” the letter continues. “Thus, any ongoing disciplinary proceedings will not touch on private matters out of the public record, and any potential harm to Mr. Giuliani’s professional reputation has already been done.”
AP Photo by Jacquelyn Martin