Judge Chutkan denies Trump bid for her recusal in Jan. 6 case
by Rebecca Beitsch - 09/27/23 5:53 PM ET
Judge Tanya Chutkan denied a motion from former President Trump asking her to recuse herself from overseeing his prosecution on charges related to his efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election.
While writing that recusal motions served a vital purpose, “justice also demands that judges not recuse without cause,” she wrote, pointing to a prior court decision noting that recusal motions can be “a procedural weapon to harass opponents and delay proceedings.”
“Motions for recusal could also be wrongfully deployed as a form of ‘judge shopping,’” Chutkan wrote.
Chutaken’s decision comes after a Sept. 11 request from Trump asking her to step aside from the case, noting comments she had made while presiding over the sentencing hearings of two Jan. 6 defendants.
The ruling, however, argues that Trump’s legal team took her out of context in singling out a few comments made in response to arguments from prior defendants — including those blaming the “architects” of the riot — noting that she has an obligation to address each point for the record.
Both defendants, Robert Palmer and Christine Priola, argued they were not key figures in the riot and should receive lower sentences given that higher level figured remained uncharged.
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https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4226581-judge-chutkan-denies-trump-bid-recusal-jan-6-case/
