Judge Finds Giuliani in Contempt for Continued Defamation of Election Workers

A federal judge on Friday found Rudolph W. Giuliani in contempt of court for continuing to defame two Georgia women after the 2020 election.

In May, Mr. Giuliani, 80, agreed to stop repeating lies about the women, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, a mother-daughter team of 2020 election workers in Fulton County, Ga.

That agreement, Judge Beryl A. Howell of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said, was “clear and unambiguous.”

But in November, Mr. Giuliani repeated accusations against the women at least four times, after Donald J. Trump won the 2024 presidential election. Now he faces potential fines if he does not follow court orders and must cover costs related to the contempt request.

Outside the federal courthouse, Mr. Giuliani told reporters that Judge Howell was “bloodthirsty.”

“I know what a dishonest and dishonorable judge she is,” Mr. Giuliani said. “I shouldn’t be the one in contempt. She should be.”

The start of 2025 has been rough for Mr. Giuliani.

It was the second time in a week that he had been held in contempt. On Monday, a federal court in the Southern District of New York found him in contempt for his lack of cooperation in handing over his assets to Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss for the damage he caused to their reputations and lives.