The federal judge, assigned to oversee Jack Smith’s criminal case against former President Donald Trump over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, is getting increased security.
Deputy U.S. Marshals discussed security plans for Judge Tanya Chutkan on Monday, according to CNN. And reporters for the news outlet have reportedly observed more security assigned to the judge.
“Ensuring that judges can rule independently and free from harm or intimidation is paramount to the rule of law, and a fundamental mission of the USMS,” spokesperson for the US Marshals Service Drew J. Wade told CNN. “While we do not discuss our specific security measures, we continuously review the measures in place and take appropriate steps to ensure the integrity of the federal judicial process.”
The increased security for the judge in the federal courthouse in D.C. comes after Trump pleaded not guilty last Thursday to four criminal counts related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Trump has signaled online that he wants to ask the judge to recuse herself from the case, claiming on one of his usual social media rants that, “There is no way I can get a fair trial with the judge ‘assigned’ to the ridiculous freedom of speech/fair elections case.”
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors are asking for a protective order restricting what Trump and his legal team can do with the evidence the Department of Justice will share with them through the discovery process for the case. Prosecutors pointed to Trump’s public statements, saying they could have “harmful chilling effect on witnesses or adversely affect the fair administration of justice in this case.”
“IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” Trump said in a Truth Social post last week, likely prompting the protective order request from the DOJ.
Trump will appear before Judge Chutkan Aug. 28 when she is expected to determine a trial date for Trump’s Jan. 6 case.
Correction: A previous version of this article referred to Judge Tanya Chutkan with the wrong pronoun in one instance. TPM regrets the error.
