The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld the disbarment of Larry Klayman, the Judicial Watch founder and prominent right-wing judicial activist who has previously been accused of weaponizing the courts at the behest of President Donald Trump — news that was flagged on X by legal affairs reporter Josh Gerstein. Klayman had appealed a Florida Supreme Court ruling from last year that imposed a two-year suspension on his law license, but the nation's highest court has allowed the punishment to stand.

Klayman has ranked among the foremost conservative legal activists since launching Judicial Watch in 1994. The group has primarily targeted Democratic administrations and election officials in pursuit of a right-wing court agenda. Over the past decade, Klayman and the organization have played key roles in advancing Trump's voter denial claims, targeting DEI policies and promoting MAGA conspiracy theories, and the group was found to be one of the top purveyors of false information regarding Covid.

The sanctions are the latest chapter in a long disciplinary record. Klayman has been banned for life from appearing before judges in California and New York due to his erratic in-court behavior, and he has previously been suspended for periods of 18 months by both the D.C. Court of Appeals and the D.C. District Court over ethics concerns. The Florida Supreme Court weighed that history when it suspended him in November 2025, ruling that he had broken ethical rules by representing a client for whom he developed romantic feelings, as Reuters reported at the time. According to the Florida Supreme Court, “the record includes writings from Klayman in which he expressed to [a client] that his emotions had rendered him nonfunctional as a lawyer,” and the court also found that he had engaged in “a pattern of misconduct,” “bad faith obstruction of disciplinary proceedings” and “submission of false evidence,” among other findings that justified the lengthy suspension. Klayman said at the time that he was “confident” the decision would be overturned. The U.S. Supreme Court has now upheld it. State supreme courts hold primary authority over attorney licensing and discipline within their borders, and with the Florida sanction now standing, Klayman is barred from practicing law in the state for the duration of the two-year suspension.

The ruling throws a wrench into several of Klayman's active cases. Most recently, he has been representing MAGA influencer Laura Loomer in a defamation lawsuit against HBO and comedian Bill Maher. In September, he also filed suit against progressive influencer Hasan Piker, seeking $150 million in damages on claims that Piker has incited violence against Jewish and Christian Zionists. Both suits remained active when the ruling came down, and how they proceed next is one thread to watch. Piker was quick to respond to the news of Klayman's disbarment, posting on X: “Isn’t this the guy who was suing me for antisemitism for like a billion dollars?!”

Many court watchers celebrated the ruling. “This is a beautiful precedent,” one declared, adding, “More of this please.” Another summed up the mood among many observers: “Couldn’t have happened to a griftier guy.”