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An appeals court suspended聽Rudy Giuliani聽from practicing law in New York on Thursday because he made false statements while trying to get courts to overturn Donald Trump鈥檚 loss in the presidential race.

An attorney disciplinary committee had asked the court to suspend Mr. Giuliani鈥檚 license on the grounds that he鈥檇 violated professional conduct rules as he promoted theories that the election was stolen through fraud.

The court agreed and said suspension should be immediate, even though disciplinary proceedings aren鈥檛 yet complete because there was an 鈥渋mmediate threat鈥� to the public.

鈥淭he seriousness of respondent鈥檚 uncontroverted misconduct cannot be overstated,鈥� the court wrote. 鈥淭his country is being torn apart by continued attacks on the legitimacy of the 2020 election and of our current president, Joseph R. Biden.鈥�

Mr. Trump called the suspension a politically motivated 鈥渨itch hunt,鈥� while Mr. Giuliani said it was a 鈥渄isgrace鈥� on his afternoon radio show. The court鈥檚 opinion, Mr. Giuliani said, was based on hearsay and 鈥渃ould have been written by the Democratic National Committee.鈥�

鈥淭he bar association should give me an award,鈥� the Republican told listeners on WABC-AM. 鈥淚 defended an unpopular client. I鈥檝e been threatened with death. I鈥檝e had a good deal of my income taken away. I鈥檝e lost friends over it.鈥�

鈥淭his is happening to shut me up,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hey want Giuliani quiet.鈥�

The court held that Mr. Giuliani, as a lawyer for Mr. Trump, 鈥渃ommunicated demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers, and the public at large.鈥�

Mr. Giuliani, a former New York City mayor and U.S. attorney in Manhattan claimed the investigation violated his First Amendment right to free speech and that he did not knowingly make false statements.

The court rejected those arguments, noting that in Pennsylvania, Mr. Giuliani failed to 鈥減rovide a scintilla of evidence for any of the varying and wildly inconsistent numbers of dead people he factually represented voted in Philadelphia during the 2020 presidential election.鈥�

鈥淔alse statements intended to foment a loss of confidence in our elections and resulting loss of confidence in government generally damage the proper functioning of a free society,鈥� the court wrote.

Interim suspensions are often a precursor to disbarment but are typically 鈥渞eserved for lawyers convicted of a crime,鈥� said Bruce Green, a former federal prosecutor who directs the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics at the Fordham University School of Law. 鈥淚t鈥檚 rarely done in cases involving lying lawyers.鈥�

Still, Mr. Giuliani will be allowed to fight the suspension and even call witnesses as part of his challenge 鈥� a process that could take months to play out 鈥� and Mr. Giuliani鈥檚 attorneys said they expect him to be reinstated 鈥渙nce the issues are fully explored at a hearing.鈥�

鈥淗e gets another day in court,鈥� Mr. Green said.

The ruling prevents Mr. Giuliani from representing clients as a lawyer, but it could have limited practical impact. Before聽pleading Mr. Trump鈥檚 case in November, the former mob prosecutor had not appeared in court as an attorney since 1992, according to court records.

Mr. Giuliani was the primary mouthpiece for Mr. Trump鈥檚 false claims of election fraud after the 2020 vote, standing at聽a press conference in front of Four Seasons Total Landscaping聽outside Philadelphia on the day the race was called for Mr. Biden and saying they would challenge what he claimed was a vast conspiracy by Democrats.

Lies around the election results helped push an angry mob of pro-Trump rioters to聽storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6聽in an effort to stop the certification of President Biden鈥檚 victory. Since that time, Republicans have used that lie to push stricter voting laws nationwide.

The suspension comes as Mr. Giuliani is under scrutiny by federal prosecutors over his interactions with figures in Ukraine while he was trying to get that country to launch an investigation of Mr. Biden鈥檚 son.

Federal agents raided Mr. Giuliani鈥檚 home聽and office in April, taking electronic devices including phones and computers.

The investigation聽includes an examination of whether Mr. Giuliani was required to register as a foreign agent in the United States. Some of the Ukrainian figures Mr. Giuliani worked with were also interested in getting his help lobbying the Trump administration.

Mr. Giuliani has said he is innocent of any wrongdoing and that the investigations are politically motivated.

Mr. Giuliani could also face consequences in Georgia, where he made statements to legislative committees casting doubt on the legitimacy of that state鈥檚 election that are cited in the New York court鈥檚 decision.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has opened a criminal investigation into potential attempts to influence the 2020 election in Georgia, including looking into 鈥渢he making of false statements to state and local governmental bodies.鈥�

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who has come under attack from Mr. Trump and his allies for not taking steps to overturn the former president鈥檚 loss in the state, saw vindication in the New York court鈥檚 decision.

鈥淭he judges recognized that the baseless conspiracy theories Giuliani repeated were not true and punished him for spreading lies, particularly about Georgia鈥檚 election,鈥� he said Thursday.

The suspension won鈥檛 affect Mr. Giuliani鈥檚 ability to act as a lobbyist or do security consulting, but will likely prevent him from practicing law in jurisdictions even beyond New York, said David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor.

Mr. Giuliani would be obligated to tell other states about the suspension, he said, which 鈥渋n all likelihood will cause them to say, 鈥榊ou won鈥檛 be able to practice here.鈥欌��

This story was reported by The Associated Press.