A key ally of Donald Trump filed a complaint Tuesday against a Washington, D.C., district judge who appeared on CNN last week and attacked the former president.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton appeared on a cable news network to discuss President Trump’s attacks on judges overseeing “hush money” cases from Manhattan and publicly criticized the 45th president.
Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project, an advocacy group that promotes the nomination of conservative judges, called Walton’s appearance on CNN “an act of judicial misconduct.”
“We are witnessing a dangerous pattern in which federal judges in Washington, D.C., like Reggie Walton, have convinced themselves that they are obligated to not be bound by judicial norms to extrajudicially rule on President Trump. ,” Davis wrote in the 13-page complaint.
Mr. Davis’ complaint was addressed to Chief Judge Shri Srinivasan of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
He told the Post that his goal was for Walton to be reprimanded and to tell other judges, especially those in Washington, D.C., that “you can’t take off your political clothes and come into the political arena.” “It sends a very clear message,” he said.
In his complaint, Davis highlighted a provision in the U.S. Code of Conduct for Judges that states judges have a duty “not to undermine public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary.”
“It’s even worse when another judge, especially a sitting federal judge, thinks it’s his job to be a commentator on CNN and comment on a criminal case pending in another judge’s court.” added.
During an appearance on CNN last Thursday, Walton weighed in on President Trump’s “Society of Truth” screed against Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Marchan, whose daughter Lauren Marchan, a Chicago-based progressive He also directs the political consulting firm Authentic Campaigns.
At the time, Trump posted a post claiming that Judge Marchand was suffering from “acute Trump confusion syndrome” and was “completely at risk.” He also complained about Lauren Marchand and quoted her. Suspected social media activity.
“Well, it’s very disconcerting when someone makes a comment about a judge, and it’s especially problematic when that comment takes the form of a threat, especially when it’s directed at a family member,” Walton said. he told CNN.
Walton also recalled how he and his daughter had been threatened in the past and warned of possible hurdles in upholding the rule of law.
Mr. Davis disputed Mr. Walton’s suggestion that Mr. Trump threatened Mr. Marchand, arguing that the former president had only “articulated why he believed he would not receive a fair trial” under him. did.
“No reasonable person could read President Trump’s posts and conclude that he made such a threat,” Davis argued. “For example, President Trump did not keep secret the home addresses of a judge and his adult daughter. President Trump also did not encourage illegal protests outside his home.”
In addition to Walton’s CNN appearance, the Washington, D.C.-based judge previously called Trump a “charlatan” and said, “I don’t think he cares about democracy, he only cares about power.” and questioned whether Trump would accept defeat.
“I made my comments in the context of the sentences I had imposed in hopes that what I said would resonate with the people I was sentencing,” said Walton, who has overseen several Capitol riot cases. It’s because there is.” CNN last Thursday.
Davis, a former congressional aide who played a key role in advancing conservative judicial candidates, argued that Walton’s public criticism was the wrong way to improve the situation.
“If a criminal defendant makes truly violent threats, prosecutors can charge him with obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and related crimes,” he wrote.
“But as a nation, we are in grave danger, with lawyers accusing criminal defendants of making ‘violent threats’ against judges after simply presenting evidence of the judge’s implicit bias.” We have entered a new territory.”
Davis also said Walton’s actions could taint potential jurors, as selection in the hush money case, in which Trump has 34 convictions, is scheduled to begin on April 15. warned that it might.
“Judge Walton’s apparent violation taints four different jury groups and is highly detrimental to President Trump,” he added.
Davis said Walton’s appearance on CNN could lead to a “very dangerous, slippery slope where he could do something like this against a politically disadvantaged defendant.” He warned the Post that he was creating something.
He stressed that he would do the same for conservative judges who appeared on national television to speak out against prominent Democratic criminal defendants.
Last weekend, President Trump shared an article first reported by the Post detailing how Lauren Marchand’s clients benefited from the criminal case pending against the former president.
On Monday, Judge Marchand extended a gag order he had previously imposed against Trump, prohibiting him from disrespecting witnesses, prosecutors and court officials, to include members of the judge’s family.
“Normally, lawyers advise their clients, especially criminal defendants, to avoid making public statements, especially criticizing judges, but Mr. Trump said this was a legal act by Democratic judges and prosecutors. I understand that this is election interference,” Davis told the Post.
