An appeals court in Texas recently ruled in favor of attorney Sidney Powell, supporting a state court judge's decision to dismiss an attorney discipline petition against her related to her involvement in former President Donald Trump's efforts to reverse the 2020 election results.
Powell, known for her alignment with Trump, has successfully defended herself against professional misconduct allegations that others assisting Trump have faced. However, she did plead guilty in a criminal case brought by the Fulton County district attorney in Georgia for election subversion.
In the recent attorney ethics case, a Texas appeals court found that the Texas Bar's Commission for Lawyer Discipline did not demonstrate that Powell engaged in dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation in the lawsuits she filed contesting Trump's loss.
Powell, licensed in Texas, was the subject of the petition by the commission seeking to find her in violation of the state's professional code for attorneys.
The appeals court expressed concerns about the Bar's interpretation of dishonesty and emphasized that dishonesty involves a conscious perversion of truth, which was not evident in Powell's case.
A spokesperson for the disciplinary commission refrained from commenting on the ruling and stated that the commission was yet to decide on its next steps, including a possible appeal to the state Supreme Court.
Powell's attorney in the disciplinary matter, Bob Holmes, highlighted that the trial court followed the law, and the appellate court upheld the judgment.
While Powell succeeded in the Texas case, she has faced setbacks in contesting sanctions imposed by a federal court for filing frivolous lawsuits challenging the election outcome in Michigan. The US Supreme Court has declined to review those sanctions.
