Donald Trump’s lawyers appeared in court on Monday, filing a motion requesting US District Judge Tanya Chutkan to recuse herself from the former president’s election subversion trial. According to CNN, the filing argues that comments made by Judge Chutkan regarding the Capitol storming on January 6, 2021, may indicate that she has already formed an opinion on the facts of the case and President Trump’s alleged culpability. While Trump’s lawyers did not explicitly accuse the judge of bias against their client, they included Chutkan’s remarks that could lead a reasonable person to believe so, as reported by CBS News.
One of the cited remarks was from a hearing in October 2022, where Judge Chutkan described the riot as an attempt to violently overthrow the government by individuals upset that their preferred candidate had lost. The DC judge later highlighted the “blind loyalty” displayed by these individuals towards one person, who happens to remain free. Trump’s legal team highlighted the unmistakable public meaning of this statement—President Trump is free, but perhaps he should not be. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
Judge Chutkan, appointed by President Barack Obama, was randomly assigned to Trump’s case. She has consistently handed down sentences in Capitol riot trials that exceed the requests of prosecutors. Despite this track record and her remarks, a legal ethics professor from New York University believes that the motion for recusal is unlikely to be granted. The Washington Post quotes Stephen Gillers stating that events and statements within the context of the case itself cannot be grounds for recusal because the judge is simply fulfilling her responsibilities. (Read more election interference indictment stories.)
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Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
