John Eastman, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage testifies before the House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Organizations Targeted by IRS for Their Personal Beliefs on Capitol Hill in Washington June 4, 2013. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away an appeal by John Eastman, a conservative lawyer indicted in August over his role in efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, in a case involving 10 emails that he had sought to shield from congressional investigators.
The justices declined to hear Eastman’s appeal of a lower court’s refusal to wipe out a federal judge’s determination that the emails could be turned over to a House of Representatives committee due to an exception to attorney-client privilege involving communications likely used in furtherance of a crime.
Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas did not participate in considering the case, the court’s brief order showed. As is customary for the justices, Thomas did not explain the reason for his recusal. The Washington Post last year reported that congressional investigators had obtained emails between Eastman, who once served as a law clerk for Thomas, and the justice’s wife, conservative activist Virginia