Judge Chutkan Assigned to Oversee New Case Against Former President Donald Trump: Will She Take a Tough Stance?

A U.S. District Court Judge, Tanya Chutkan, has been assigned to oversee the new case against former President Donald Trump. Judge Chutkan is known for having handed out some of the most aggressive sentences to rioters involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

An Associated Press review of sentences handed out to rioters involved in the attack found that Chutkan, an ex-assistant public defender who was nominated to the judiciary by former President Barack Obama, stood out as the toughest sentencer among the judges on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

In June, the judge responded in open court that she is trying to keep her calendar open “in case I can get out of town, which is increasingly looking like a good idea.”

Less than 24 hours after special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment of former President Donald Trump landed on her docket, Judge Chutkan told an attorney in an unrelated matter that she hadn’t slept since she received the assignment.

Judge Chutkan is now tasked with overseeing the case against former President Donald Trump, which is related to his alleged efforts to remain in power following his loss in the 2020 election. It remains to be seen how the judge will handle the case, but her past record of handing out tough sentences to rioters involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol suggests that she will not be lenient in her ruling.