Topline
Judge Tanya Chutkan denied former President Donald Trump’s request that she recuse herself from presiding over the federal case against him for his alleged interference in the 2020 election because of supposed preexisting bias, delivering yet another legal blow to the ex-president as he stares down four criminal indictments.
Judge Tanya Chutkan denied a motion from former President Trump that asked her to rescue herself … [+]
Key Facts
Earlier this month, Trump’s legal team filed the request for Chutkan to recuse herself, claiming that she should be disqualified for having previously “suggested” Trump be “prosecuted and imprisoned.”
In Wednesday’s filing denying the request, Chutkan pointed out she never said those things, rather the defense made an unreasonable “inferential leap” to assume her reading of other January 6 defendants’ arguments represented a “core view” of hers.
She also noted that while she discussed the arguments that other January 6 defendants made that placed greater blame on Trump than themselves, the court “ultimately rejected those arguments—declining to assign culpability to anyone else.”
Statements that Trump’s team claimed show bias do “not provide a reasonable basis to question the court’s impartiality,” Chutkan said.
Chutkan, the D.C. district court judge assigned to Trump’s case, was key in unveiling evidence that was used against Trump, ordering him to release records from his presidency to the House January 6 Select Committee in November 2021.
Crucial Quote
“Based on its review of the law, facts, and record, the court concludes that a reasonable observer would not doubt its ability to uphold that promise in this case,” Chutkan wrote in the decision.
Key Background
Trump was charged in August with four federal crimes by Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith—and has since pleaded not guilty—related to his efforts to stay in office despite losing the 2020 election. Trump’s case was randomly assigned to Chutkan, who has overseen a number of January 6 cases and is known for handing down some of the toughest punishments, according to a June 2022 analysis from the Associated Press. In its request for Chutkan to rescue herself, Trump’s legal team argued that things said in Chutkan’s past January 6 rulings showed “apparent prejudgement of guilt.” Chutkan was appointed to the federal bench by former President Barack Obama in 2014.
What To Watch For
Trump’s reaction. He’s taken to social media to blast Chutkan in the past, but Trump is also scheduled to talk in Michigan tonight at Drake Enterprises, a non-union autoparts manufacturing facility outside of Detroit in lieu of attending the second Republican presidential debate.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/09/27/judge-chutkan-denies-trumps-request-for-her-to-recuse-herself-from-jan-6-case/