Jenna Ellis, a constitutional lawyer who formerly worked with a conservative Catholic public interest law firm, pleaded guilty to one charge of “aiding and abetting false statements and writings” in the Georgia election fraud case.
Ellis, an evangelical Christian, is the fourth co-defendant to plead guilty, which legal analysts predict bodes ill for the most prominent co-defendant in the conspiracy case, former President Donald Trump.
Ellis told the court she had “deep remorse” over her role in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Previously, Ellis worked with the Thomas More Society, which identifies itself as “the premiere not-for-profit public interest law firm championing life, family and freedom”.
It has long fought to defend activists in the pro-life community from a variety of legal challenges, as well as religious liberty cases involving clients who resist non-discrimination laws involving the LGBT community.
In 2009, they defended 88 pro-life activists on charges of trespassing at the University of Notre Dame’s graduation ceremony. The activists were protesting the presence of President Barack Obama.
In the days after the 2020 election, President Trump and his staff worked feverishly to challenge the election results in several states. Prosecutors allege that it was Trump and his team themselves that attempted fraud, asking for election officials to throw out legitimately-cast ballots.
At the time, Ellis and the president of the Thomas More Society denied they were involved in efforts to challenge the election.
Ellis was charged with writing two memos outlining strategies for disrupting the counting of ballots and legal efforts to certify the results. President Joe Biden defeated Trump in Georgia by a margin of 11,779 or 0.23 per cent.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Ellis agreed to perform 100 hours of community service, write an apology to the people of Georgia, serve five years of probation and pay a $5,000 fine. Most importantly, she is required to testify against the remaining 15 co-defendants.
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