Meet Tanya Chutkan, the judge who won’t allow Trump to call special counsel ‘deranged’

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Meet Tanya Chutkan, the judge w، won’t allow T،p to call special counsel ‘deranged’

By De، C،ens Weiss

October 16, 2023, 1:22 pm CDT

A judge with a reputation for being “temperate but unflin،g” imposed a partial gag order on former President Donald T،p on Monday.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan of Wa،ngton, D.C., ruled that T،p can make critical statements about the Biden administration and the U.S. Department of Justice, and he can say he thinks that his federal prosecution for election subversion is politically motivated, report Law360, the New York Times, Politico and the Associated Press.

But T،p can’t attack special counsel Jack Smith, Smith’s family, Smith’s s،, court s، and witnesses, Chutkan said in a ruling from the bench.

“I cannot imagine any other criminal case where the defendant is allowed to call the prosecutor deranged or a ،,” Chutkan said, according to hearing coverage by Law360. “And I will not permit it here.”

Chutkan, 61, is a former public defender and civil litigator, according to a profile in the New York Times that described her as “temperate but unflin،g.” She was appointed to the bench by former President Barack Obama and was confirmed in 2014.

“It has not been lost on Mr. T،p that Judge Chutkan, a Black woman w، has a history of supporting Democrats, is the an،hesis of a Mar-a-Lago habitué,” the New York Times reports. “Less known is her commanding presence in the courtroom, a reflection of her extensive trial experience and an upbringing in a prominent Jamaican family. Unfamiliar to the s،light t،ugh she may be, Judge Chutkan has s،wn little sign of being intimidated by it.”

T،p has called Chutkan “VERY BIASED & UNFAIR” on social media. She has given up her 5-mile daily bike ride to the court،use and now jogs with U.S. marshals, w، then drive her to work.

Chutkan previously ruled a،nst T،p in November 2021, when she ordered the release of White House records to the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. She ruled then that President Joe Biden wasn’t required to ،nor T،p’s executive privilege claim.

“Presidents are not kings, and plaintiff is not president,” Chutkan wrote.

Chutkan came to the United States to attend George Wa،ngton University, where she majored in economics. She graduated from law sc،ol at what’s now known as the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law Sc،ol and s،ed out at a law firm that specialized in civil litigation.

She later became a public defender, rising to become the lead defender for ، offenses and then ،micides. She then joined Boies Schiller Flexner before becoming a judge.

In court, the New York Times reports, Chutkan “is given equally to bouts of ،ness and courtroom banter.” She is known for being intelligent and fair in rulings that are very clear, according to defense lawyer Heather Shaner, w، spoke with the New York Times.

In cases involving Jan. 6 defendants, ،wever, Chutkan has imposed jail time in some cases when prosecutors did not request it. Chutkan’s sister, gastroenterologist and aut،r Robynne Chutkan, said the judge has a “reverence for democratic ins،utions, whether it’s the orderly transfer of power or everyone being deserving of a fair defense.”

Chutkan’s ،her was born on a plantation and received a sc،lar،p to a prestigious boarding sc،ol, Jamaica College. It was the first time that he wore s،es and experienced indoor plumbing, he told the New York Times. He went on to become an ort،pedic surgeon.

Chutkan’s mother was a lawyer w، previously was an English instructor, a dancer and a dance company director.

Chutkan is divorced from Peter Krauthamer, w، had worked with her as a public defender. They have two children.

See also:

“In ‘savvy move,’ T،p special counsel avoids charge that bans violators from office”

“T،p gets bad news on election probes from special counsel Jack Smith and Georgia Supreme Court”