Who Is Tanya Chutkan? Judge in Trump Jan. 6 Case Known for Tough Sentences

The federal judge presiding over former President Donald Trump's U.S. Capitol riot trial ruled against him in the past and is known as the "toughest punisher" of participants in the attack of January 6, 2021.

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan was assigned to oversee Trump's case after the MAGA leader was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on four charges in the federal investigation of the January 6 siege.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Special Counsel Jack Smith had been investigating Trump in the Capitol attack case, the former president's second federal probe this year. Trump was handed four charges, which include conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Trump's arraignment is set for 4 p.m. Thursday.

Trump, the Republican frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race, has maintained his innocence. The former president has repeatedly criticized the special counsel's federal investigation into his alleged involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results on January 6 when a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol. Hundreds have been charged in the deadly riot. Chutkan has earned a reputation as the "toughest" judge whom Capitol riot defendants can face, according to an Associated Press report.

Newsweek reached out via email on Tuesday night to the spokesperson for U.S. District Court's D.C. office and representatives of Trump for comment.

Chutkan who serves on the bench of D.C.'s federal trial court, was appointed by then- President Barack Obama in 2014.

She was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and received her B.A. in Economics from George Washington University and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, according to her profile on the U.S. District Court website. After law school, she worked in private practice and served as an assistant public defender for the District of Columbia Public Defender Service before being appointed to the federal court.

While in her federal role, she has become known as the top "punisher" of all D.C. judges presiding over January 6 cases.

Chutkan was featured in an Associated Press article last year, headlined: "In Jan. 6 cases, 1 judge stands out as the toughest punisher," and was found to be more likely to recommend jail time for convicted Capitol rioters than her colleagues, according to the post.

The June 2022 article states that Chutkan has "consistently taken the hardest line against Jan. 6 defendants of any judge serving on Washington's federal trial court."

The article also notes that she has even imposed tougher sentences than the DOJ recommended.

Chutkan also has a history with Trump, issuing a ruling against him nearly two years ago.

In November 2021, the former president lost a bid to withhold documents from the House Select Committee, which was investigating the events of January 6.

Trump had sued Representative Bennie Thompson, chair of the committee at the time, in an effort to prevent the panel from accessing documents in the National Archives. Trump claimed those documents were covered by executive privilege, but Chutkan ruled against the former president.

In her opinion, Chutkan wrote that Trump's executive authority "exists in perpetuity," and that "Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President."

Trump supporters fear the judge's history with the former president and her status as an Obama appointee will cause her to be biased.

Former U.S. Attorney Joe diGenova told conservative outlet Newsmax that Chutkan "will not be fair."

Despite the backlash, several experts say Chutkan is a "solid" choice and will ensure a fair trial.

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner shared his opinion on Chutkan being assigned to the case.

Kirschner, a legal analyst who frequently vocalizes criticisms of the former president, described the judge as "ethical" in a Tuesday evening tweet.

"The judge who will preside over Trump's DC trial, Tanya Chutkan, is a former DC Public Defender against whom I tried murder cases back in the day," he said on social media. "She is smart, fair, ethical, independent, honorable, and will ensure Trump gets a fair and speedy trial."

Harry Litman, a former federal attorney, also shared his thoughts on Twitter, which has rebranded with an X logo.

"Judge = Tanya Chutkan. very good draw," Litman said. "Solid well respected. first DC superior court then Obama put her on district t court.