Security tightened around judge in Trump Jan. 6 case: report

Security around the judge overseeing former President Trump’s Jan. 6 case has reportedly increased at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., where the case will be tried.

A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service in a statement would not confirm if security has increased around U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan but said it ensures judges can do their jobs “free from harm.”

“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,” said Brady McCarron, a spokesperson for the agency. “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.”

CNN first reported that Chutkan’s security was increased, writing that its reporters observed additional protection for the Obama appointee, and that deputy U.S. Marshals discussed security plans for her Monday. 

Chutkan was randomly assigned to Trump’s case after he was indicted last week on four charges. Her role in the case has placed her squarely in the former president’s line of fire. Trump has said on Truth Social that his counsel plans to move to recuse Chutkan from the case, calling her “the Judge of [special counsel Jack Smith’s] ‘dreams.’” 

“There is no way I can get a fair trial with the judge ‘assigned’ to the ridiculous freedom of speech/fair elections case,” Trump wrote in all caps in a Truth Social post Sunday. “Everybody knows this, and so does she!” 

Chutkan has handed down tough sentences to Jan. 6 defendants, matching or exceeding the sentences prosecutors have asked. But legal experts described her as an “experienced judge” and suggested efforts to disqualify or recuse her are “ridiculous.”

“There’s absolutely no basis for that,” said David Sklansky, a Stanford Law professor and co-director of the university’s Criminal Justice Center. “I will be interested to see whether any of Trump’s lawyers are willing to make that suggestion; it’s such a crazy suggestion from a legal standpoint.” 

John Lauro, one of the attorneys representing Trump in the D.C. case, said on a podcast with Florida defense attorney David Markus that Trump’s counsel has made “no final decision on that issue.”

“It has to be really looked at with a fine-toothed comb,” Lauro said. “It raises a lot of issues.”

The first hearing in Trump’s case before Chutkan is scheduled for Aug. 28, where the judge is expected to set a trial date. Trump is not expected to be present.