Obama-appointed judge who could send Donald Trump to jail

Tanya Chutkan has been appointed to preside over the January 6 Donald Trump case. Indictment #6 is notorious for harsh sentences against the Capitol rioters and was ordered by Barack Obama.

U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan was also a federal judge who previously denied Trump's attempt to avoid revealing documents to the House Committee on Inquiry. attack by writing in the decree: «presidents are not kings.»

A former assistant public defender and partner at a leading law firm, Ms. Chutkan was appointed by Mr. Obama to the District Court in December 2013 and appointed in 2014.

Last year, an audit found that sentencing the January 6 offenders, she has consistently been the toughest judge of the federal trial court in Washington.

On several occasions, she handed down harsher sentences than prosecutors required, imprisoning defendants. who pleaded guilty to misdemeanors. Her tough approach drew indirect criticism from some colleagues.

A grand jury indicted Donald Trump on four counts

“Every day we hear about reports of anti-democratic groups of people plotting violence, about the potential threat of violence in 2024,” she said before sentencing the Florida man. who attacked police officers to more than five years in prison.

“It must be made clear that attempting to forcefully overthrow the government, attempting to stop a peaceful transition of power, and attacking law enforcement officers in this attempt will result in absolutely definite punishment.” , she said.

Judge. previously ruled against Trump

Ms. Chutkan had previously ruled against Trump in a separate case on January 6.

In November 2021, she denied his request to block the Jan. 6 House committee from releasing the documents. by asserting an executive privilege. Ms. Chutkan dismissed his argument that he could have privilege over his administration's documents even after President Biden cleared the way for the documents to be handed over to the National Archives.

In a commemorative line of her decision, Ms. Chutkan wrote: «Presidents are not kings, and the plaintiff is not a president.»

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Ms. Chuktan grew up with a passion for dance before studying economics. at the George Washington University and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.

Who will no doubt be under scrutiny in the coming months, Ms. skin» to deal with comments about her race.

«For a lot of people, I seem to tick a lot of boxes: immigrant, female, black, Asian,» she said last year during a legal event as part of Black History Month.

She added: «Your qualifications will always be criticized, and you will have to show thick skin.»

She also spoke about the difficulties of balancing the role of a parent with her role. as a public defender, recalling how, during her murder trial, she had to race home from court to feed her then nine-month-old son before heading off to meet clients in prison.