On Tuesday, former U.S. President Donald Trump was indicted on federal charges related to his alleged role in the January 6 insurrection. This marks the third indictment against him and the first concerning actions undertaken during his presidential term. Upping the ante, the presiding judge in the case is a former Obama appointee known for her stern approach to the January 6 rioters and critical stance towards Trump.
Chutkan has been the toughest sentencing judge on the D.C. federal court for Jan. 6 defendants, according to a Washington Post database. Through mid-June, Chutkan sentenced every one of the 31 defendants to have come before her to at least some jail or prison time. She has exceeded prosecutors’ sentencing recommendations nine times and granted them 14 times, while court-wide, judges have sentenced below government recommendation about 80 percent of the time.
The presiding judge is U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who has a track record of imposing stricter sentences on the insurrectionists than even what the prosecution has suggested. The Washington Post provided a snapshot of her judicial philosophy by quoting her statement from the bench: “It has to be made clear that trying to violently overthrow the government, trying to stop the peaceful transition of power and assaulting law enforcement officers in that effort, is going to be met with absolutely certain punishment.”
Judge Chutkan has encountered Trump in her courtroom before when he attempted to prevent the National Archives from releasing documents related to his administration’s actions surrounding the January 6 incident. He asserted he had “executive privilege” over these files, despite no longer being in office. In November 2021, Chutkan dismissed Trump’s plea, stating: “Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.” This order, permitting investigators to access the documents, was upheld by the Supreme Court with an 8 to 1 vote.
According to Politico, this ruling precipitated a massive influx of evidence concerning his alleged efforts to undermine the 2020 election. After the documents were obtained, they led to the referral of Trump to the Justice Department for criminal charges. Consequently, Special Counsel Jack Smith took charge and indicted Trump with four criminal counts on Tuesday.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Judge Chutkan moved to the U.S. to pursue higher education. It is disheartening to consider the possible racially driven slurs she might face from Trump and his supporters.
