Lawyer sentenced for Jan. 6 capitol riot has license suspended by Georgia Supreme Court

ATLANTA — A Georgia lawyer convicted and sentenced for being one of the first men through the doors of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 is no longer able to practice law in the state, following a decision by the Georgia Supreme Court.

William McCall Calhoun, an attorney from Americus, was convicted for his participation in breaching the Capitol after the 2020 election in March.

In August, Calhoun was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for obstructing an official proceeding, among other charges, for his actions.

On top of his 18 months in prison, Calhoun was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and to pay $2,000 in restitution.

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Calhoun was arrested after participating in the breach on Jan. 6, 2021 and posting video of himself on social media in the middle of the mob swarming the U.S. Capitol that day.

His posts were made to Parler, a now-inactive social platform, social media platform X-formerly-known-as-Twitter and Facebook.

Before January 2021, Calhoun had served as an attorney for decades, practicing law in Americus, Ga. In federal court, Calhoun admitted to being one of the first through the doors during the breach.

As previously reported by Channel 2 Action News, the U.S. Department of Justice said Calhoun entered the Capitol through the broken Senate Wing Door and walked around inside.

At one point, evidence showed him outside of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, according to the USDOJ.

Among a series of rulings by the Georgia Supreme Court, Calhoun’s license to practice law was placed on hold.

In the Matter of W. McCall Calhoun, Jr., the state ruled to suspend his license, citing his “federal court felony and misdemeanor judgments of guilt related to his participation in the events of January 6, 2021 at the United States Capitol.”

The maximum penalty for violating Georgia Bar Rules 8.4(a)(2) and (3) is disbarment, the court noted.

In Georgia, it is a violation of bar rules to be convicted of a felony, and for a lawyer to be convicted of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude.”

To that end, his license is not fully revoked and he was not disbarred, though final judgment is pending the outcome of his appeals in federal court.

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